Hamilton wins first Ferrari race in Barcelona as Antonelli retires

Lewis Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday to claim his first victory for Ferrari and end a winless run that dated back to July 2024.

The result gave Ferrari one of its biggest moments of the season and delivered an all-British podium, with George Russell finishing second and Lando Norris third.

Hamilton’s breakthrough in Barcelona came after Ferrari’s three-stop strategy paid off, with the team also benefiting from a virtual safety car during the race. It was a significant milestone for both driver and team after a difficult stretch without a grand prix win together.

Race result

Hamilton crossed the line ahead of Russell, while Norris completed the podium in third. Multiple reports from the race confirmed the top three and the strategic sequence that helped Ferrari build the winning position.

The victory was Hamilton’s first for Ferrari and his first grand prix win since July 2024. It also underlined how quickly the race swung in Ferrari’s favour once the team committed to a more aggressive tyre strategy.

Charles Leclerc also retired from the race, leaving Hamilton’s win as Ferrari’s clearest positive from an afternoon that otherwise brought mixed fortunes for the team.

Antonelli’s retirement

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired late in the race after a mechanical failure that reporting described as an electrical shutdown. His exit provided the decisive late twist in a race that had already been shaped by strategy and tyre management.

Antonelli’s retirement matters because it came in the middle of a close title fight. Live reports indicated he still led the drivers’ championship after Barcelona, but the gap will be watched closely once the official standings are updated.

The retirement also adds uncertainty around the technical reliability picture for Mercedes, even as the immediate race result kept the championship contest alive.

What the win means

Hamilton’s first Ferrari win is a major statement for the team and a personal vindication for the seven-time world champion, who had been waiting more than a year for another grand prix victory.

For Ferrari, the result offers proof that race execution and strategy can still swing a contest against strong opposition when the timing works. The three-stop call was central to that outcome.

For Mercedes, Russell’s second place kept the team in the fight at the front, but Antonelli’s retirement overshadowed what had been a potentially stronger points day.

What comes next

The Barcelona result tightens the drivers’ championship battle and adds momentum heading into the next round in Austria.

There is still some open interest around the full technical cause of Antonelli’s retirement, and officials or teams may yet provide more detail in post-race documents or statements.

Even without that final clarification, Barcelona delivered a clear headline: Hamilton has finally won in Ferrari red, and the title race has moved another step deeper into the season.