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The Guardian World1 min read
Hamilton says Barcelona win beyond wildest dreams
TL;DR
Lewis Hamilton secured his first victory with Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, finishing ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris. This marks the first all-British podium in F1 since 1968.
Key points
- Lewis Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
- This is his first victory with Ferrari
- George Russell and Lando Norris completed the podium
- First all-British podium in F1 since 1968
- Hamilton had a difficult first season with Ferrari
Mentioned in this story
Lewis HamiltonFerrariGeorge RussellMercedesLando NorrisMcLaren
Lewis Hamilton says he was struggling to find the words to express how much his first victory for Ferrari meant to him after winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion, in his second season with the team, won from Mercedes' George Russell and McLaren's Lando Norris.
That made it the first all-British podium in F1 since the 1968 United States Grand Prix, won by Sir Jackie Stewart from Graham Hill and John Surtees.
Hamilton had a difficult first season with Ferrari, failing to finish on the podium in any of the 24 grands prix, though he did win the sprint race in China.
He said: "How do you find the right words to express an emotion that's beyond your wildest dreams?"
The 41-year-old was on course to beat Russell and Kimi Antonelli anyway even before a virtual safety car period mid-race ensured he could pit and return to the race in the lead and not have to fight back past the Mercedes drivers.
Hamilton said that as he embraced his Ferrari team after the race, his "heart was exploding with joy".
Championship leader Antonelli retired from second place with four laps to go, promoting Norris to third place.
Image caption,
Sir Jackie Stewart celebrates his victory in the 1968 US Grand Prix, the previous time British drivers filled the top three positions
Hamilton's win and Antonelli's retirement meant the Italian's lead in the drivers' standings narrowed to 41 points.
Both Russell and world champion Norris paid tribute to Hamilton.
Norris said: "Pretty cool. It's pretty special. It's nice. And with Ferrari again, it's even cooler to kind of see that partnership come through and kind of pay dividends.
"You could see how much it meant to him. At the same time, he's obviously had a lot of people talk badly about him and he's got a lot of crap online from a lot of people, so it's nice that he can stick the middle finger up to all of them."
Russell, who spent three seasons as team-mate to Hamilton at Mercedes before his move to Ferrari for 2025, said: "We both sort of grew up as fans of Lewis and, you know, for myself, spending three years together in Mercedes, so much respect.
"It was a big, bold move to join Ferrari, and to see it now paying off for him is very special to see given the magnitude of the decision.
Q&A
What does Lewis Hamilton say about his first win with Ferrari?
Lewis Hamilton expressed that his first victory for Ferrari was an emotion beyond his wildest dreams.
Who finished on the podium alongside Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona?
George Russell from Mercedes and Lando Norris from McLaren completed the podium.
When was the last all-British podium in Formula 1 before this race?
The last all-British podium in Formula 1 was at the 1968 United States Grand Prix.
How did Hamilton perform in his first season with Ferrari?
In his first season with Ferrari, Hamilton did not finish on the podium in any of the 24 grands prix.
