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
What F1's risky Madrid bet needs to get right in order to pay off
McLaren drops upside down H-wing concept for F1 Spanish GP
Audi to go through with appeal against Yuki Tsunoda's Italian GP result
Ferrari got “hardly any” advantage from its Madring F1 test
Lewis Hamilton: I don’t want preferential treatment from Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur recall GP2 title and 'most impressive race ever', 20 years on
Charles Leclerc gives insight into eyesight problem after Monza F1 crash
"I went too far" - Charles Leclerc accepts blame for second-corner Monza clash with Lewis Hamilton
Should Ferrari have pitted Lewis Hamilton under the VSC at the Italian GP?
George Russell 'overanalysing everything' as Kimi Antonelli extends F1 lead, says former driver
“I f***ed up quite a lot”: How Yuki Tsunoda discovered the complexity of F1 2026 at Monza
LIVE: F1 Spanish Grand Prix updates - Ferrari on top as drivers get first taste of Madring circuit
Insider reveals how Red Bull’s billion-dollar Porsche deal collapsed
What F1's risky Madrid bet needs to get right in order to pay off
The deeper meaning of Vettel’s emotional Schumacher demo run at Monza
Why new Madrid F1 circuit will be a "challenging" test of cars and engines
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur recall GP2 title and 'most impressive race ever', 20 years on
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