Lewis Hamilton recorded his first success as a Ferrari driver after the Italian team's impeccable strategy brought him victory in the Catalan Grand Prix. The Briton finished ahead of George Russell in Mercedes, while championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed out shortly before the end of the race.
It was the 106th victory of Hamilton's career and his first since the Belgian Grand Prix in 2024, when he was still racing for Mercedes. After moving to Ferrari, the Briton finally achieved the long-awaited triumph with the legendary Italian team.
From the start, the Scuderia opted for an aggressive approach with the soft tires, trying to attack in the opening meters. However, Hamilton was unable to overtake George Russell, who started from pole position, who started on medium tires. The Mercedes driver maintained his lead and quickly built up a lead of around three seconds, while Antonelli moved into third.
The first wave of pit stops began after the tenth lap. Hamilton was among the first leaders to pit, prompting Mercedes to react immediately. Russell pitted on lap 13, with Antonelli following suit two laps later. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc extended his stay on the track and managed to move up the order after his pit stop.
The second series of pit stops opened up a new tactical battle. Hamilton put on medium tyres on lap 28, while Russell opted for the hard compounds ten laps later. The decisive moment came on lap 41, when the safety car came out after an incident with Fernando Alonso. Ferrari reacted quickly and called Hamilton for a new set of tires, which allowed him to return to the track ahead of Russell.
After the restart, the Briton demonstrated excellent pace and confidently controlled the race until the finish. Behind him, a battle broke out between the Mercedes drivers. Antonelli managed to overtake Russell and climb to second place five laps from the end, but was forced to end his participation shortly after due to a technical problem.
Thus George Russell finished second, and the third place on the podium went to world champion Lando Norris with McLaren. Between the two McLaren drivers was Max Verstappen with Red Bull, while Oscar Piastre remained fifth.
Hamilton's victory and Antonelli's retirement brought additional intrigue to the battle for the title. The Italian remains at the top of the general classification with 156 points, while the Ferrari driver now has 115 and is establishing himself as a serious contender in the championship.