Lewis Hamilton described his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix as the fulfilment of one of his “wildest dreams” after claiming his first win for Ferrari in an emotional race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The triumph marked Hamilton’s first Formula One victory in nearly two years and his maiden win since joining Ferrari in January 2025, ending months of doubts over whether the seven-time world champion could still compete at the highest level.
At 41, Hamilton is still chasing a record-breaking eighth world title, and Sunday’s victory — the 106th of his illustrious career — has reignited hopes that he remains a serious contender.
“How do you find the right words to express an emotion that’s beyond your wildest dreams?” Hamilton said after the race.
“You know, I truly believed in my decision in joining Ferrari. I truly believed in what this team could achieve, what we could achieve together. And I know it started out with lots of excitement and then lots of doubt and lots of negativity that followed through a whole year.”
Hamilton endured a difficult debut season with Ferrari in 2025. For the first time in his Formula One career, he finished a season without a podium finish, while Ferrari also failed to win a race.
The disappointing campaign led some critics to question whether Hamilton had moved to Maranello for commercial reasons rather than sporting ambition, with others suggesting his best days were behind him.
Reflecting on those doubts, Hamilton admitted he had moments of uncertainty.
“After a year like last year, there were definitely moments that I was like, ‘Sheesh, maybe it is true that, you know, when you get to a certain point, you lose it,’” he said.
“But I’ve proven that you don’t.
“You always have it and it just takes work. It takes perseverance, that constant believing in yourself to tap into your inner self and keep yourself alive, keep yourself fit. And I feel great physically.”
Hamilton, who celebrated the victory alongside race engineer Carlo Santi on the podium, said the moment carried special significance because of his long admiration for Ferrari.
“Every win is special, but this one, this one’s something else,” he said.
“I always watched Ferrari have all that success when I was younger, watching it on TV, and as I’ve been racing here, I’d always watch the screens and wonder what it’d be like to win in that car. And it’s come, and everyone worked so hard for it.”
The victory was made even more significant by the retirement of championship leader Kimi Antonelli, whose streak of five consecutive wins came to an end.
Hamilton now trails the Italian by 41 points in the standings and believes the title race is far from over.
“It’s a long, long way to go and they still have great pace, as you can see,” he said.
“But we’re going to keep working, we’re going to keep trying to close that gap. It’s not over, that’s for sure.”
