Hamilton Becomes Oldest Grand Prix Winner in 56 Years with Ferrari Breakthrough

Lewis Hamilton’s breakthrough Ferrari victory at Barcelona-Catalunya did more than end a long wait. It placed him into one of Formula 1’s most exclusive statistical categories, making him the oldest grand prix winner for 56 years.

For a closer look at how the Barcelona race was won, read our analysis of Hamilton and Ferrari’s bold strategy in Barcelona.

A rare win for a driver in his 40s

That places Hamilton seventh on the all-time list of oldest grand prix winners. The symmetry is striking: he also sits eighth on the list of youngest drivers to win a grand prix, having taken the 2007 Canadian GP at 22 years, 5 months and 3 days. His Barcelona win came almost exactly 19 years after that first triumph.

To surpass the outright oldest-winner record, Hamilton would need to compete in and win any race after January 30, 2038. That would move him beyond Luigi Fagioli’s benchmark of 53 years, 0 months and 22 days, set at the 1951 French GP.

Ferrari milestones and a British podium sweep

Hamilton also became the 41st different driver to win a world championship grand prix for Ferrari. The team’s Barcelona victory was its 249th in Formula 1, while it marked the 250th win for a Ferrari engine. The exception in that count remains Sebastian Vettel’s victory for Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso at the 2008 Italian GP.

The podium carried its own historical weight. Hamilton was joined by George Russell and Lando Norris, creating the first all-British podium since the 1968 United States GP, when Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and John Surtees filled the top three positions.

It was also the first time since the 1983 San Marino GP that one nationality had swept a Formula 1 podium, after Patrick Tambay, Alain Prost and Rene Arnoux achieved the feat for France.