Lewis Hamilton delivered one of the drives of the season to claim a magnificent maiden victory for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on 14 June, beating George Russell and Lando Norris in a thrilling race that also produced an all-British podium for the first time since 1968.
Hamilton’s win ended Mercedes’ winning streak and was built on a bold three-stop strategy from Ferrari that caught their rivals off guard. Starting on soft tyres alongside pole-sitter Russell, Hamilton was unable to challenge for the lead on the opening lap but stayed in contention through the early stages as tyre degradation became the defining issue in scorching track temperatures that exceeded 50 degrees Celsius before the formation lap.
The pivotal moment came when Ferrari called Hamilton in for an early third stop on lap 23, a gamble that immediately paid dividends as he posted blistering lap times on fresh medium tyres. He assumed the net race lead and extended his advantage over the field. When Fernando Alonso retired and a Virtual Safety Car was deployed, Ferrari seized the opportunity to complete Hamilton’s final stop at minimal cost, returning him to the track with a buffer he would never relinquish. His fresh hard tyres proved decisive as he consistently pulled away from Russell over the closing laps, crossing the line 19.5 seconds ahead of the Mercedes driver.
Russell, who had taken pole position and led the early stages, was forced to settle for second. Norris completed the podium for McLaren in third, with the all-British top three marking a historic occasion. Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull ahead of Oscar Piastri, with Isack Hadjar sixth after a slow start that had dropped him to 14th on the opening lap.
The race’s biggest story beyond Hamilton’s triumph was the dramatic late retirement of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver had been locked in a fierce battle with Russell, eventually forcing his way past his team-mate into second place with five laps remaining. Almost immediately, he suffered front wing damage and was forced to pull onto the grass, ending what had been a scintillating personal performance and dealing a significant blow to his championship lead. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc retired in the same phase of the race with power steering failure, meaning both Ferrari and Mercedes lost a car in the closing stages.
Alpine enjoyed their best day of the season with Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto finishing seventh and eighth respectively, though Colapinto faces a post-race investigation for a yellow flag infringement. Racing Bulls scored double points for the second consecutive race with Liam Lawson ninth and Arvid Lindblad tenth.
There were seven retirements in total. Beyond Antonelli and Leclerc, Aston Martin had a dismal afternoon as both Lance Stroll, who retired on lap six with a gearbox problem, and Alonso failed to finish. Valtteri Bottas was withdrawn by Cadillac as a precaution, Nico Hulkenberg retired for Audi and Ollie Bearman was a late retiree for Haas.
For Hamilton, the victory ends a wait of nearly two years for a Grand Prix win and represents a statement moment for Ferrari’s 2026 campaign. For Antonelli, the retirement will sting, but his performance before the mechanical failure underlined why he leads the championship.
