As Antonelli retires
Lewis Hamilton took his first victory for Ferrari with a finely executed win at the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, as the Scuderia’s three-stop strategy helped the seven-time World Champion beat George Russell and Lando Norris. World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli might have finished second after passing team-mate George Russell, but the Italian teenager was forced to retire from race in the closing stages due a technical issue.
Hamilton, starting second, was unable to overhaul pole-sitter Russell at the launch, with Mercedes opting for medium tyres while Ferrari committed to softs for the opening stint. In warm conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Russell was able to build an early margin, but Ferrari’s race plan gradually brought Hamilton back into contention.
After an early first stop, Hamilton settled into the race behind Russell, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli ran strongly in the second Mercedes. Ferrari then made the decisive call on Lap 28, bringing Hamilton in for medium tyres and committing him to an aggressive three-stop approach. The move initially dropped him into traffic, but he quickly cleared Oscar Piastri and benefited as Max Verstappen lost time during a slow Red Bull stop.
With Antonelli closing on Russell, the Mercedes pair became locked in battle, allowing Hamilton to use his fresher tyres to reduce the deficit. Charles Leclerc, running a different strategy for Ferrari, also assisted the team effort by allowing Hamilton through as the race began to swing in the Scuderia’s favour.
The key moment arrived after Mercedes had stopped both Russell and Antonelli for hard tyres. Hamilton inherited the lead before a Virtual Safety Car was triggered when Fernando Alonso stopped on track at Turn 9. Ferrari reacted immediately, bringing Hamilton in for hard tyres and returning him to the circuit just ahead of Russell as green-flag running resumed.
From there, Hamilton controlled the closing stages with composure, steadily extending his advantage and taking the chequered flag 19.561 seconds clear.
The result ended Mercedes’ unbeaten start to the 2026 season and gave Ferrari its first Grand Prix victory since Mexico City in 2024. It was also Hamilton’s 106th career win and his first since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix.
Russell finished second after Antonelli, who had briefly passed his team-mate late on, retired with a mechanical problem in the final laps. Norris completed the podium for McLaren, ahead of Verstappen and Piastri, with Isack Hadjar sixth for Red Bull. Charles Leclerc might have figured in the top six but the Monegasque driver also retired late on taking a trip through the gravel on the lap after Antonelli’s retirement and reported that his power steering was broken. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto secured seventh and eighth for Alpine, while Racing Bulls completed the points with Liam Lawson ninth and Arvid Lindblad 10th.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 66 1:32'28.105
2 George Russell Mercedes 66 1:32'47.666 19.561
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 66 1:32'51.824 23.719
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 66 1:33'08.602 40.497
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 66 1:33'26.766 58.661
6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 65 1:32'52.732 1 lap /24.627
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 65 1:33'23.894 1 lap /55.789
8 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 65 1:33'37.972 1 lap /1'09.867
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 65 1:33'40.329 1 lap /1'12.224
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 65 1:33'46.179 1 lap /1'18.074
11 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 64 1:32'54.792 2 laps /26.687
12 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 64 1:32'55.971 2 laps /27.866
13 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 64 1:33'27.254 2 laps /59.149
14 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 63 1:32'35.874 3 laps /7.769
15 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 62 1:27'31.697 4 laps
16 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 61 1:24'58.909 5 laps
17 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 60 1:26'37.448 6 laps
Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 55 1:33'09.120 Retirement
Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 37 54'01.274 Retirement
Nico Hülkenberg Audi 29 41'37.595 Retirement
Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 15 22'35.070 Retirement
Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 5 7'29.057 Retirement
