It may have been 686 days since Lewis Hamilton last won a Formula 1 Grand Prix, but he has finally added another victory to his career tally, driving for Ferrari at the circuit in Montmelò, north of Barcelona. This also represented his first GP victory for the iconic Italian team. It was a historic day for other British drivers too, as George Russell and Lando Norris joined him on the post-race podium, the first time three Brits have done so since the US Grand Prix back in 1968.

The race was called the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix rather than the Spanish Grand Prix as in previous years because in September the latter event will take place for the first time at a new circuit in Madrid. The big news, though, in the Barcelona paddock on Friday morning was an official announcement that both of Pierre Gasly’s five-second penalties for speeding in the Monaco pit lane had been rescinded, and as such, he regained his third-place finish and the related points. I shall write more about this highly unusual situation in my separate News And Events From F1: Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix piece, which will follow this race report.

Friday’s opening free practice session was an opportunity for teams to run reserve drivers as per the requirements of the F1 regulations, and seven outfits opted to do so, with the likes of Kimi Antonelli and Hamilton temporarily handing their cars over. As such, the results were less meaningful than usual, but normal service was resumed in the later second session, and McLaren’s Norris topped the timing screens just ahead of Mercedes’ Russell and the other McLaren driven by Oscar Piastri. The leading trio in Saturday’s final practice were Russell, Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and this was followed by the all-important qualifying hour, with Grands Prix at this Spanish venue so often won by a driver starting from the front row of the grid.

Aston Martin’s embarrassing woes merely continued in the opening stages as its drivers were eliminated as the slowest duo on track in their Adrian Newey-designed and Honda-powered car, and with local hero Fernando Alonso even outpaced by his teammate, Lance Stroll, and set to start dead last. An early crash for Leclerc then interrupted the top ten shootout, and his error left him feeling “ashamed”, but, when the action resumed, it was a flying Russell who claimed pole position ahead of Hamilton, Antonelli and Norris.

The Grand Prix was expected to be a tight strategic battle, with tyre wear crucial, and Ferrari executed its three-stop strategy well, overcoming the threat posed by Mercedes’ alternative two-stopper. After a clean start, the early running was dominated by Russell, Hamilton and Antonelli before the first and second phases of pit stops were processed, with individual strategies becoming apparent.

By lap 40 Hamilton led from Russell and Antonelli before a Virtual Safety Car was triggered after Alonso had come to a stop at Turn 9, marking a disappointing end to what may well be his last F1 race at Barcelona. This strategy worked so well for Ferrari, as the team reacted quickly and brought Hamilton in for a cheap third and final pit stop under the VSC conditions. Such situations are all part of racing, and on this occasion Hamilton benefited from it, but to his credit the seven-time champion then proceeded to drive away from the chasing Mercedes cars of Russell and Antonelli, establishing an ever-increasing lead.

To his rear, Antonelli kept pressurising Russell for second place and on lap 61, with just five tours remaining, this paid off as he swept past his teammate into Turn one. However, motorsport can at times be cruel, and just a single lap after claiming second position, his Mercedes ground to a halt with mechanical woes, gifting the place back to Russell, with Norris gratefully being promoted to third. Gremlins then also hit Leclerc’s Ferrari as he limped back to the pits when running fifth.

A second short Virtual Safety Car period followed to enable the removal of Antonelli’s stricken car from the side of the track, and racing resumed a lap before Hamilton brought his Ferrari steed to the chequered flag for the first time in a Grand Prix, having previously won a short sprint encounter for his new team. Behind the three British drivers on the podium, the top six finishers were Max Verstappen, Piastri and Isack Hadjar, and, despite his late retirement, Antonelli retains a comfortable lead in the Drivers’ Championship, while Mercedes still heads the Constructors’.

Next up comes the Austrian Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time at the Red Bull Ring, and let’s hope that the racing there is as hot as the scenery is beautiful.



2026 Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1hr32m28.105s
2 George Russell (Mercedes) +19.561s
3 Lando Norris (McLaren) +23.719s
4 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +40.497s
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +58.661s
6 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) Lapped
7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) Lapped
8 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) Lapped
9 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) Lapped
10 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) Lapped
11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) Lapped
12 Carlos Sainz (Williams) Lapped
13 Esteban Ocon (Haas) Lapped
14 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) Napped
15 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) Retired
16Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) Retired
17 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) Retired
18 Oliver Bearman (Haas) Retired
19 Alex Albon (Williams) Retired
20 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) Retired
21 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) Retired
22 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Retired



2026 Drivers’ Championship
1 Kimi Antonelli 156
2 Lewis Hamilton 115
3 George Russell 106

2026 Constructors’ Championship
1 Mercedes 262
2 Ferrari 190
3 McLaren 141