Hamilton Wins Barcelona Grand Prix, First Victory With Ferrari

Seven-time world champion and 41-year-old veteran Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) has secured his first win of the season at the 7th round of the 2026 Formula 1 (F1) World Championship, the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix (GP).

Hamilton took the checkered flag first in the Barcelona-Catalunya GP final held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (4.657 km, 66 laps) in Montmelo, Spain, on June 15, finishing with a time of 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 28.105 seconds.

With this victory, his first of the season, Hamilton has reached 106 career wins, marking his first triumph in about two years since the Belgian GP in July 2024.

Furthermore, Hamilton enjoyed the joy of his first victory since moving from Mercedes to Ferrari last year.

George Russell (Mercedes) finished second, and Lando Norris (McLaren) took third place.

As Hamilton, Russell, and Norris stood on the podium together, it marked the first time since the United States GP in October 1968 that three British drivers have swept the podium.

On the other hand, Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), who had been on a five-race winning streak since the second round, failed to finish the race after his car stalled due to a mechanical issue late in the race, ending his run at 16th place and missing the chance for a sixth consecutive win.

Hamilton has accumulated 115 driver ranking points, moving up to second place behind leader Antonelli (156 points).

Russell sits in third place with 106 points.

Hamilton, who qualified second, started from the second grid behind Russell, who took the pole position, while Antonelli began his pursuit from the third grid.

In the final, with track temperatures exceeding 50°C (122°F), most drivers started on medium tires, while Hamilton and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) opted for soft tires with higher grip.

The tire choice became a decisive factor in the race.

As the extreme heat caused rapid tire wear and made car control difficult, Hamilton was the first to pit and switch to hard tires, with Russell following suit shortly after.

In the middle of the race, as Russell and Antonelli battled for the top two spots, Hamilton maintained third place and steadily closed the gap.

Hamilton moved into the lead on lap 38 while Antonelli was in the pits, and when a Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 41, he immediately headed to the pits for his third stop.

With overtaking prohibited during the Virtual Safety Car period, Hamilton returned to the track in the lead, setting the stage for his victory.

Meanwhile, Antonelli, who was fighting for second place with Russell, saw his speed drop suddenly on lap 62 and was forced to retire from the race due to an electrical system failure.

Hamilton fended off a late charge from Russell to seal his first win of the season.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.