Lewis Hamilton wins first F1 race with Ferrari in Barcelona

Seven-time world champion’s maiden victory for the Italian manufacturer is also his first F1 win in nearly two years.Former Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton won his ‌first race as part of the legendary Ferrari team, capturing victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in Spain ⁠on Sunday.The triumph came ⁠in his 31st race with Ferrari in a year of resurgence for Hamilton. The 41-year-old is in second place in the driver standings, trailing teenager Kimi Antonelli, who was seeking his ⁠sixth consecutive victory for his Mercedes team.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Losing three years set us back 20’: Palestinian football’s future in perillist 2 of 4Giants Spain take on tiny Cape Verde to begin World Cup 2026 title bidlist 3 of 4Ten observations after attending a World Cup match in the USlist 4 of 4Smiles all around as Morocco, Brazil share spoils and Knicks make historyend of listHamilton finished sixth in the standings in 2025, well behind season winner Lando Norris of McLaren. He had not stood atop the podium since he won the Belgian Grand Prix in July 2024 ⁠while driving for Mercedes.“I started out with a dream last year, which seemed almost impossible during my time last year,” Hamilton said immediately after the race. “But we never gave up hope. The team just continued to lift me up. We made so many changes and so many improvements. On top of that, I’ve got the greatest fanbase a sportsman could ‌ever ask for. Thank you. Thank you to everybody.”Hamilton executed his team’s plan to perfection in Barcelona. They used a three-stop strategy, employed tyres they thought would be most efficient in the blazing heat and were aided by a free stop while under a Virtual Safety Car. The temperature on the track at the start of the race was above 50C (122F), F1 reported.Russell held on to the early lead with Hamilton, Antonelli, Norris and four- time season champion Max Verstappen doing the chasing while maintaining their starting positions.