Hamilton wins Barcelona for Ferrari; Vasseur calls it ‘a new start’

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur hailed Lewis Hamilton after the seven-time world champion delivered his first Formula 1 Grand Prix victory for the Italian team on Sunday in Barcelona, calling it a confidence boost and “a new start” after a difficult opening stretch to their partnership.

Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 1 hour, 32 minutes, 28.105 seconds, completing 66 laps for Ferrari. The breakthrough came through a decisive three-stop strategy, helped by a late Virtual Safety Car — a neutralized race condition that slows the field without fully deploying the safety car — after Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin stopped on track. Hamilton pitted under that window and emerged in front to secure the win. George Russell was second for Mercedes, 19.561 seconds back, and McLaren’s Lando Norris finished third at 23.719 seconds.

The result carried immediate weight in the championship. Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the series leader entering the race, retired late after what the team called an electrical shutdown. Mercedes said in its post-race report: “In the closing stages, Kimi moved past George to take P2 on track before suffering a race ending electrical shutdown moments later … We know that to finish first, first you have to finish, and we will be working flat out to make sure we improve our reliability.” Antonelli had completed 61 laps and was classified as a DNF, ending Mercedes’ six-race winning run and trimming his lead over Hamilton to 41 points. After Barcelona, Antonelli led the standings with 156 points, followed by Hamilton on 115 and Russell on 106.

Vasseur pointed to Hamilton’s control of the race as much as the result itself. “It’s a good feeling … Today he was managing the situation very well – as soon as we were adjusting the strategy, he was pushing more or less. He was very outstanding today. … I think that Lewis’ approach was consistent from the beginning. He is fully committed, fully convinced, and he is pushing everybody,” Vasseur told F1 TV, via Formula1.com.

Vasseur also sought to frame the victory as more than an emotional release. “Honestly, I’m trying to calm down bad comments and too enthusiastic comments … Lewis is a bit emotional, the team is emotional and my job is to try to calm down everybody in both situations. For sure, it’s a huge push in terms of confidence for him this weekend. It will be a new start,” he told Sky Sports F1, via Formula1.com.

Hamilton had started second on the grid after missing pole to Russell by 0.064 seconds, and the win was significant on several levels. It was Ferrari’s first race victory since the Mexico City Grand Prix in 2024 and the 106th win of Hamilton’s career, according to Formula1.com. Afterward, Hamilton underlined the work behind the result: “First I have to start and say a huge grazie to everyone here, my team here at Ferrari, everyone back at the factory, Fred [Vasseur] for believing in me and bringing me to this team … We made so many changes and we made so many improvements …”