Lewis Hamilton's emotional message on first Ferrari F1 win: "You helped me achieve this dream"
An elated and emotional Hamilton records his first Ferrari grand prix victory in 31 attempts and his first in two years
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton thanked Ferrari for helping him "achieve a dream" after taking his maiden grand prix win as a member of the Scuderia.
Hamilton and Ferrari went on the offensive in F1's tyre battle on a sweltering Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Unlike most other frontrunners, including poleman George Russell, Hamilton opted for a start of softs, with the excessive tyre degradation all but nailing him to a three-stop strategy.
That allowed the seven-time world champion to fully flex his upgraded SF-26's muscles, putting pressure on Russell and the second Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli as they were nursing their hard tyres, with Russell in particular struggling for pace with a lack of front load.
Hamilton received an additional bit of assistance from old nemesis Fernando Alonso as the Spaniard parked his Aston Martin on lap 40, allowing the Briton to take his first and final stop under virtual safety car conditions.
But the Ferrari's blistering pace in the final stint suggested either Mercedes would have struggled to contain the 41-year-old on his quest for a first Ferrari grand prix win in 31 attempts.
On the cooldown lap, an emotional Hamilton thanked his team for helping him "achieve this dream" of winning in red.
"Grazie a tutti Maranello, thank you so much!" Hamilton said. "You helped me achieve this dream and I can't thank you enough. Thank you to everyone for pushing so hard back at home. I'm so proud of you.
"Thank you to my family and thank you to the fans for continuing to remind me who I am, I couldn't have done it without you."
Afterwards, Hamilton said his 106th grand prix win was one of his very best. "They're all special in their own way but this one is something else," he said in parc ferme. "I watched Ferrari have all their success on TV when I was younger and wondered what it would be like to win in this car. I'm forever grateful and this is hopefully the first of many."
Photos from Barcelona-Catalunya GP - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Sunday
Share Or Save This Story
Winner and losers from F1's blistering Austrian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc confused by woeful Ferrari race pace in Austria
Why Lewis Hamilton's race engineer bond shows F1 is a people's sport first
Juan Pablo Montoya: Lewis Hamilton "doesn't forget" Max Verstappen F1 history
Ferrari's Austrian GP problems explained as Lewis Hamilton loses P2 in championship
Ferrari says winning Barcelona GP means less in F1 2026 – is that true?
Ferrari could have best car by end of 2026 F1 season, claims Jolyon Palmer
How Lewis Hamilton thinks Ferrari can beat Mercedes in F1 Austrian GP
What were Antonelli’s chances of starting on the front row in Austria without his yellow-flag blunder?
Shane van Gisbergen needed to battle for his latest Cup road course win
Laurin Heinrich left "disappointed" to lose ground in championship despite podium rally
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after Sonoma 2026
Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup at Sonoma
George Russell claimed a much-needed win in Austria, but could Max Verstappen - or Kimi Antonelli - have won?
What were Antonelli’s chances of starting on the front row in Austria without his yellow-flag blunder?
Why everyone suddenly wants a piece of Alpine
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Austrian GP
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments