Barcelona GP: Hamilton calls first Ferrari win ‘something else’
Lewis Hamilton described his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari as ‘something else’ after ending a 686-day win drought with an emotional triumph at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The result marked Hamilton’s first win since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix and delivered a landmark moment in his Ferrari career. It was his 106th Grand Prix victory, made him the 41st driver to win for Ferrari, and added Barcelona-Catalunya as the 32nd different Grand Prix venue at which he has won.
Hamilton seizes control in Barcelona
Hamilton’s race was built on aggression from the start. Beginning on soft tyres, he immediately committed to a proactive strategy and forced the initiative against George Russell’s Mercedes. That early pressure allowed Ferrari to dictate the strategic rhythm rather than simply react to Mercedes.
The decisive moment arrived after Fernando Alonso’s stopped car triggered a Virtual Safety Car. Hamilton made his final pit stop under the VSC and emerged ahead, putting himself in position to control the closing phase. From there, he pulled clear of Russell to secure a victory that carried obvious emotional weight for both driver and team.
For more on the competitive picture that set up the race, including Ferrari’s mixed but encouraging Saturday, read our report on Ferrari’s Barcelona qualifying breakthrough.
‘This one is something else’
Hamilton made clear that this was not just another addition to an already vast career tally. The symbolism of winning in red, after years of watching Ferrari from the outside, gave the achievement a different dimension.
“They are all special in their own way, but this one is something else,” Hamilton said.
“I watched Ferrari have all that success when I was younger, watching on TV, and since I’ve been racing here, I’d watch the screens and wonder what it would be like to win in that car, and it has come.”
Hamilton also stressed the collective nature of the breakthrough, paying tribute to the work behind the scenes at Maranello and within the race team.
“Everyone has worked so hard for it, and everyone truly deserves it, so I am forever grateful, and this is just the first of many I hope.”
Gratitude for Ferrari’s belief
The seven-time world champion reserved particular thanks for Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, acknowledging the role he played in bringing him into the team and maintaining belief through a difficult period.
“I have to say a huge blessing to everyone on my team here at Ferrari, to Fred for believing in me and bringing me to this team,” Hamilton said.
“I started out on a dream last year, which seemed impossible during my time last year, but we never gave up hope, and the team continued to lift me up.”
For Hamilton and Ferrari, Barcelona was more than a statistic. It was the conversion of a long-held ambition into a Grand Prix victory — and, in Hamilton’s words, potentially only the beginning.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.