Key events
Race report
Luke McLaughlin was at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to witness that little piece of F1 history – here’s his write-up
Thanks for reading this lap-by-lap report. On to Austria next week …
Championship standings
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell close the gap at the top of the drivers’ standings to Kimi Antonelli:
The top 10
1 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 156pts
2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 115
3 George Russell (Mercedes) 106
4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 75
5 Lando Norris (McLaren) 73
6 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 68
7 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 55
8 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 41
9 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 34
10 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 26
Constructors championship top 4
1 Mercedes 262pts
2 Ferrari 190
3 McLaren 141
4 Red Bull 89
Final race standings
OK, after all that, let’s have a look at where everybody ended up. Only 14 cars finished the race.
1 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
2 George Russell (Mercedes)
3 Lando Norris (McLaren)
4 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
6 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
8 Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
9 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
12 Carlos Sainz (Williams)
13 Esteban Ocon (Haas)
14 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac)
Ret Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Ollie Bearman (Haas), Alex Albon (Williams), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Fernando Alonso’s last home F1 race at Barcelona, we expect, ends in disappointment.
Hamilton bounds on to the podium in sheer delight and God Save the King is played, three British flags raised to represent a historic top three. The Ferrari crew launch into the Italian national anthem, with Hamilton nodding along and wiping the odd tear from his eyes.
“The season just got interesting,” writes Edwin. “I am so happy to see Hamilton driving like this. I hope this car is the real deal.”
George Russell and Lando Norris suddenly look a bit like fanboys standing next to Hamilton. “Nice to see him back on top,” Norris says as both congratulate the 41-year-old. “Well done boys,” Norris says on the all-British podium.
“We are going to keep working, we’re going to keep trying to close that gap. It’s not over,” Hamilton says on his title chances. He closes the gap to Antonelli at the top to 41pts after the Italian’s late retirement.
Hamilton continues with his grazie’s as he speaks to former teammate Nico Rosberg: “I’m with the best fanbase a sportsperson could ever ask for.”
Asked where this win ranks in his 106 career grand prix victories …
They’re all special in their own way but this one is something else. When I was young, I watched Ferrari have all their success on TV. I always wondered what it would feel like.
History-making milestones
Let’s clear up those statistics
Hamilton’s last race win: Belgium, July 2024
Ferrari’s last race win: Carlos Sainz, Mexico City, October 2024
Last all-British podium: Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, John Surtees; United States, October 1968!
Hamilton launches himself into the red-suited Ferrari crew! They are swamped by a pack of photographers looking to capture this historic moment. Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader who had to retire in the final few laps, gives him a big hug.
Hamilton takes himself away to a quiet corner by the weighing scales and drops to his haunches, taking in the moment by himself. George Russell offers his congratulations.
“Grazie a tutti! Thank you so much for helping me achieve this dream,” says an emotional Lewis Hamilton over the Ferrari team radio. It’s a famous, famous victory – and a dream fulfilled.
4th to 10th: Verstappen, Piastri, Hadjar, Gasly, Colapinto, Lawson
Lewis Hamilton wins Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix!
Hamilton wins his first grand prix since Spa two years ago and, therefore, his first for Ferrari! Their 3-stop strategy worked a treat after a little luck with a virtual safety car.
George Russell and Lando Norris complete an all-British podium for the first time since 1968!
Lap 66/66: Novak Djokovic gets ready to wave the chequered flag as Hamilton prepares to steer his Ferrari home!
Lap 65/66: Hamilton’s lead is a gigantic 25sec. Antonelli watches on, helmet off, by the side of the track. He exits the scene on the back of a moped.
Lap 64/66: What a dramatic finish. Leclerc returns to the pits and is out of the rest of the race. Antonelli has jumped out of his car as the stewards wheel it behind the barriers. Still only a virtual safety car.
Lap 63/66: Leclerc loses his power steering and comes off too, dropping to 6th. Hamilton, Russell and Norris hold an all-British podium as it stands.
Antonelli comes to a stop!
Lap 62/66: Incredible! Antonelli had some damage to his front wing after overtaking Russell but stutters to a stop further along. His engine cuts and he trundles to the grass. The virtual safety car is out.
Antonelli moves past Russell into 2nd!
Lap 61/66: Antonelli looks ominous behind Russell and makes a move on the straight! The Italian sneaks past around turn one and into 2nd! That’ll sting for the man who started this afternoon on pole.
Lap 60/66: Hajdar pits but retains his 8th place ahead of Gasly. Antonelli might have one more go at Russell for 2nd.
Lap 59/66: “I’m happy where I am,” Hamilton tells Ferrari. He doesn’t need to be told what to do from here. It’s the 105 race wins or something – he knows what he’s doing.
Lap 58/66: Hamilton’s lead is 13.5sec. Antonelli (3rd) is still a second back from Russell.
Lap 57/66: Bortoleto comes past Sainz into 15th. The Spaniard was the last Ferrari driver to win a grand prix – in Mexico City in October 2024.
Lap 56/66: Ten laps to go. It’s as you were with the top five:
1 L Hamilton (Ferrari)
2 G Russell (Mercedes) +12.5sec
3 K Antonelli (Mercedes) +1.1sec
4 L Norris (McLaren) +1.9sec
5 M Verstappen (Red Bull) +17.4sec
Lap 55/66: Hamilton is cruising. He leads Russel by 11sec and is on course for a first grand prix victory since Spa in July 2024.
Lap 54/66: McLaren tell Norris they expect Antonelli to get at least a 5sec penalty for breaching the track limits. The reigning world champion is 1.3sec behind the current championship leader.
Lap 53/66: “Pick up the pace, George,” Mercedes tell Russell as Antonelli gains more ground on his teammate. Russell might have to yield the position if he can’t.
Lap 52/66: “You are doing a good job,” is the rather understated message from Ferrari’s team radio to Hamilton. Fred Vasseur is getting quite excited in the pit lane.
Lap 51/66: Elsewhere, it’s Norris tucked in behind Antonelli. Verstappen is almost 20sec back in 5th, followed by Leclerc and Piastri. Hadjar, Gasly and Colapinto make up the rest of the points places.
Lap 50/66: An imperious Hamilton stretches his lead to 8sec. Antonelli is now able to close the gap on Russell to just over 1sec.
Lap 49/66: Russell is keeping Antonelli at arm’s length, the gap is 1.5-2sec. Hamilton extends his lead in front further to 7sec.
Lap 48/66: Still a fair way to go. Hamilton is going faster than anyone in the field, even Verstappen on his medium tyres. The gap to Russell is over 6sec now.
Lap 47/66: Alonso has joined Hülkenberg, Bottas and Stroll back inside.
Lap 46/66: Questions remain over whether Hamilton slowed down enough during the virtual safety car.
Lap 45/66: Hamilton extends his lead to Russell by half a second.
Lap 44/66: Russell must now keep pace with Hamilton’s flying Ferrari. A yellow flag infringement for Hamilton has been noted by race control … 4sec is the gap to Russell in 2nd.
Perfect pit stop for Hamilton!
Lap 43/66: Hamilton is still out in front after his third pit stop. He’s on course for his first grand prix victory since 2024 and his first for Ferrari!
Lap 42/66: Ferrari take their chance to bring Hamilton in for a 3rd stop. It’s all going to plan for them, it seems. Right on cue, the virtual safety car ends.
Virtual safety car – Alonso’s race is over
Lap 41/66: Virtual safety car! Alonso comes off on to the grass and what is probably his final F1 race at Barcelona is over. Verstappen dips into the pits and comes out in front of a Haas, producing some angry fist shaking from their crew.
Lap 40/66: Russell sneaks past Leclerc into 2nd after the Ferrari driver had made life a bit difficult. Leclerc comes in to pit.
Lap 39/66: “It’s the critical moment. We have our chance,” Ferrari tell Hamilton over the radio. He will do another 7 laps on these tyres before coming in for a third time. Could their strategy pay off?
Lap 38/66: Antonelli returns to the track just ahead of 5th-place Norris, with Russell ahead in 3rd. Everyone’s on hard tyres now but Hamilton out in front. Leclerc holds 2nd.
Lap 37/66: Hamilton has got the bit between his teeth. He’s already pitted twice and is chipping away at Antonelli’s lead from second. The Italian pits, a lap after Russell.
Lap 36/66: Mercedes call Russell in first for fresh tyres, leaving Antonelli out.
Lap 35/66: Russell and Antonelli continue to do things amicably out in front.
Halfway point
Lap 34/66: The top 10 after the halfway point
1 G Russell (Mercedes)
2 K Antonelli (Mercedes)
3 L Norris (McLaren)
4 L Hamilton (Ferrari)
5 C Leclerc (Ferrari)
6 O Piastri (McLaren)
7 M Verstappen (Red Bull)
8 I Hadjar (Red Bull)
9 L Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10 P Gasly (Alpine)
Lap 33/66: Russell defends Antonelli’s first attack on turn one! The Italian hangs back to prepare himself for another assault. “Let’s not take any risks,” he is told on the Mercedes radio.
Lap 32/66: Antonelli can have a go at Russell now with Sainz out the way in front of them. Leclerc lets a flying Hamilton pass him into 4th.
Lap 31/66: Antonelli has closed the gap to leader Russell to less than just over half a second.
Lap 30/66: Antonelli is on his last warning for track limits. Verstappen heads into the pits too and comes back out in 7th.
Lap 29/66: Hamilton takes Piastri on the outside to move into 6th, both cars avoiding a loitering Perez in the process.
Lap 28/66: Hamilton slots into 7th on his return to the track, a second or two behind Piastri. There is a very sizable gap back to Hajdar in 8th.
Lap 27/66: Ferrari go for a 3-stop strategy as Hamilton dips into the pits, locking up a bit. He’ll swap to medium tyres. Let’s see how everyone else reacts.
Lap 26/66: Bortoleto heads past Ocon into 14th. Antonelli is almost within striking distance of Hamilton in 2nd.
Lap 25/66: Gasly joins the fight for 9th. Hülkenberg gets a bit sweary on the Audi radio as Lawson holds his ground.
Lap 24/66: Hülkenberg has a go at Lawson for 9th and the Racing Bulls driver defends well.
Lap 23/66: “Leclerc is still very much in our race behind,” Red Bull tell Verstappen, with around 3.5sec the gap which is closing all the time.
Lap 22/66: At least a couple of seconds separate the top 7 and nobody is really under any pressure at the moment. Antonelli is gradually gaining on Hamilton in 2nd with the gap around 3.5sec.
Lap 21/66: Ferrari tell Hamilton “we are on plan C”, which doesn’t sound ideal. He’s still around 2sec behind Russell and has the fastest lap so far. Hajdar goes past Lindblad into 8th.
