The top of the Formula 1 podium once again has a well-known face after a wait of 686 days. In a display of pure technique and strategy this Sunday, Lewis Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, leaving pole position George Russell behind. Third place was in the hands of Lando Norris, who inherited the position in the final moments due to a mechanical failure in Kimi Antonelli’s car, current season leader, as the race was already heading towards the end.
The last time the 41-year-old veteran had tasted victory was at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, accumulating a gap of exactly one year, ten months and 17 days. With the positive result on the Spanish track, the Brit reaches the impressive mark of 106 triumphs in the highest category of world motorsport. As an added value to the context of the race, it is worth remembering that the Catalan circuit requires high aerodynamic wear, which makes the feat even more special: he surpassed the legend Michael Schumacher and isolated himself as the only driver to win seven first place trophies on this circuit.
The party was not just for the driver, but also for the Ferrari garage, which endured an uncomfortable period of a year and a half without climbing to the top step. The Maranello team has not won a stage since Carlos Sainz’s triumph in the Mexican GP, held in October 2024. Now, the traditional Italian team breathes a sigh of relief and updates its historical statistics, reaching 249 victories and further consolidating its status as the greatest winning force of all time in F1.
Complete table with the positions of the Spanish Grand Prix
The following table details the order of finish and the official score of all competitors who participated in the stage at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with emphasis on the podium occupants who defined the race:
- First position secured by Lewis Hamilton after excellent tire management.
- Second place secured by George Russell, who led much of the dispute.
- Third place inherited by Lando Norris in the final laps of the competition.
Highlights and crucial moments of the Spanish race
How the start of the race was designed on the Catalan route
When the red lights went out, George Russell defended first position well and avoided Lewis Hamilton’s initial attacks. Right behind, Kimi Antonelli tried to put pressure on the vice-leader, but the seven-time champion used his experience to close the door and maintain second place. The front group continued without major changes, with Lando Norris maintaining fourth place, while Max Verstappen experienced a brief drop in performance, losing two positions before quickly recovering to fifth place.
The scenario was more chaotic in the middle of the field, especially for the Brazilian Bortoleto, who had poor traction and fell from 12th to 17th place, getting stuck in the wake of Oliver Bearman. Another who suffered in the opening meters was Isack Hadjar, who wasted his excellent sixth position on the starting grid and fell to a bitter 14th place on the first lap.
The war in the pits and the teams’ tire choices
The choice of compounds would dictate the pace of the first stopping window, as Hamilton bet on soft tires against Russell’s medium ones, which soon opened up a margin of 1.5 seconds. The leader managed to extend this advantage to more than two seconds in the fourth pass. Noticing the accelerated wear of the stickier rubber, Ferrari’s strategists acted quickly and called their driver to change on lap 12, inaugurating the ballet of pit stops.
Putting on a new set of hard tires, the Briton from the Italian team returned to the line in seventh, observing the rear of Oscar Piastri’s car. Mercedes wasted no time and responded on the next lap, calling on Russell to abandon the medium compounds in favor of the hard ones. The maneuver worked momentarily, as the Englishman returned in fifth, maintaining a two-second gap over his compatriot.
The chess of the charts continued with Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli going to the mechanics, which lifted Russell and Hamilton back to second and third place, separated by just 1.9 seconds. Charles Leclerc tried to extend his stint as much as possible, but had to make the change in the 17th stint. With this, the natural order at the top was reestablished, with the Mercedes car dictating the pace ahead of the Ferrari.
Battles for tenths of a second in the front squad
The pace of the race entered a phase of extreme balance, with George Russell unable to gain more than 2.2 seconds at the top during a period of seven laps. Behind them, Kimi Antonelli turned on attack mode and pulverized a four-second deficit to Lewis Hamilton in the very short space of three spins. To avoid overtaking on the track, the Ferrari wall opted to bring forward the veteran’s second stop on lap 28.
Now equipped with medium compounds, the multi-time champion returned to the asphalt in seventh place, close to Oscar Piastri, easily overtaking him on the next lap. The Australian, in turn, had his attention focused on the front, trying to find a gap to overtake Charles Leclerc and steal fifth place.
Race management intervention changes the course of victory
The Ferrari driver’s climb towards the top gained momentum when Max Verstappen pitted for the second time on lap 30, handing over fifth place on a plate. At a strong pace, he also left Charles Leclerc behind, while Kimi Antonelli, who occupied provisional second place, began to fill Russell’s mirrors. Mercedes then called its leader for another change, returning the second place in the race to Hamilton.
Trying to surprise with strategy, the German manufacturer’s garage brought Antonelli to the pits on lap 38. The dynamics of the stops put Hamilton in the provisional lead, escorted by Charles Leclerc, until the Monegasque also fulfilled his obligation to the mechanics. The definitive turning point occurred on lap 41, when the engine of Fernando Alonso’s car went out, forcing the Spaniard to park in the escape area.
The abandonment led to the immediate deployment of the virtual safety car, creating the perfect window for Hamilton to make his third and final pit stop, losing much less time than under the green flag. The tactic was executed perfectly: the red car left the pit lane exactly 1.9 seconds ahead of George Russell, just as the track was reopened to normal speed.
Drama in the final laps and unexpected grid breaks
With a free track and tires in good condition, Lewis Hamilton set an overwhelming pace, opening up a 6.6 second margin in just eight laps. Ten laps later, the gap to second place was already 13 seconds. Unable to keep up with the leader’s pace, George Russell began to suffer attacks from his own teammate, being overtaken by Antonelli on lap 61.
The stage seemed set for the checkered flag, with Lando Norris closely trailing the leaders in fourth place. However, motorsport proved its unpredictability on lap 63, when Antonelli’s car suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure, forcing the championship leader to cruelly retire from contention. Misfortune promoted Lando Norris to the top step of the podium. In the final moments, still under a localized yellow flag, Charles Leclerc also pulled over in his single-seater, reporting a total failure in the hydraulic steering system.
