The drought is over, and the streak is broken.
Scuderia Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton delivered a masterclass at a scorching Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, overcoming blistering track temperatures and a flawless three-stop strategic gamble to claim a historic first victory in Ferrari red.
This emotional triumph brought an end to a near two-year personal win drought for the seven-time World Champion.
Crucially, this victory shattered the dominant run of championship leader Kimi Antonelli by snapping the Mercedes prodigy’s remarkable streak of five consecutive race victories.
Hamilton crossed the line to a roaring Spanish crowd with a winning time of 1:32:28.105, finishing 19.561 seconds ahead of former teammate George Russell, while McLaren’s Lando Norris completed the podium 23.719 seconds behind the winner.
This spectacular result produced Formula One’s first all-British podium sweep since 1968.
The afternoon began under immense pressure, with track temperatures soaring past 50°C and threatening extreme tire degradation.
Starting from P2 on an aggressive soft-tire allocation, Hamilton was unable to snatch the lead from polesitter Russell at lights out.
Rather than panicking, the Ferrari pit wall pivoted to a high-stakes three-stop strategy.
Hamilton unleashed blistering, qualifying-style pace on fresh rubber to hunt down the leading pack.
The strategic gamble paid off perfectly on Lap 42 when local hero Fernando Alonso retired, triggering a Virtual Safety Car.
Hamilton dived into the pits for a “free” stop, emerging onto the track with a three-second advantage on fresher hard tires to control the remainder of the Grand Prix.
Just as Hamilton asserted control, the closing laps devolved into absolute chaos behind him.
Antonelli, who had been hunting down Russell for second place in a bid to keep his historic winning streak alive, suddenly slowed.
The 19-year-old Italian was forced into a shock retirement on Lap 62 due to a catastrophic electrical failure.
Moments later, the drama intensified when Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc took a wild trip through the gravel.
Reporting broken power steering, the Monegasque driver also retired, completing a bittersweet afternoon for Maranello.
Red Bull Racing capitalized on the late-race carnage to salvage fourth and sixth places with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, sandwiching McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fifth.
An emotional Hamilton took to the team radio to celebrate the milestone victory, praising his new squad for never losing hope.
”You have helped me so much to achieve this dream. I cannot thank you enough,” Hamilton said.
By capitalising on Antonelli’s scoreless afternoon, Hamilton has significantly slashed the championship deficit.
He now trails the Mercedes driver by 41 points heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, breathing new life into the 2026 World Championship fight.
