Brilliance In Barcelona: Hamilton Secures Maiden Victory With Ferrari!

Millie Clark breaks down the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand prix, which saw Lewis Hamilton secure his first win with Ferrari as Kimi Antonelli’s lead is chipped away after an untimely retirement.

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

Hamilton takes first GP win in Red

Lewis Hamilton clinched his first win for Ferrari ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris, making it an all-British podium, as championship leader Kimi Antonelli suffered an unfortunate retirement.

After the second phase of pit stops, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton stole the lead from Russell. While Hamilton was committed to a three-stop strategy, he had help from a virtual safety car on lap 41, triggered by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

What could have been a potential last Barcelona race for Alonso, the Spaniard’s day went from bad to worse as he stopped right in front of his home grandstand. This brief virtual allowed Hamilton to complete his final pit stop and still come out into the lead ahead of Russell, and take his first grand prix victory in red.

The Battle for Second

With just over 5 laps to go, Hamilton had checked out in the lead, and the fight for the second step on the podium began for the two Mercedes drivers.

As Antonelli closes in on Russell down the main straight, Russell almost pushes Antonelli onto the grass while defending the position. Yet, it wasn’t long at all before Antonelli took the position away from Russell as he breezed into second place down at the first corner.

However, on lap 62, the young Italian’s luck had worn out as he slowed down and was forced to stop on track, with yet another Mercedes engine issue.

A Weekend to Forget for Leclerc

Amongst the Mercedes drama, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc’s weekend went from bad to worse.

After crashing out during Q3 of Saturday’s qualifying, Leclerc’s Grand Prix racing on Sunday also ended early as he took a trip across the gravel, forcing him to pull into the pits to retire.

Leclerc hoping to bounce back ‘stronger’ in Austria after Barcelona GP

A Podium for Norris

While McLaren still seems slightly off the pace of the Mercedes and Ferrari, Norris managed to stick to the back of the Mercedes battle near the end of the race.

With Antonelli’s unfortunate retirement, Norris was able to secure the final position on the podium after two consecutive DNF’s.

Heartbreak for Hulkenberg

Whilst Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg is known for his eleventh-place finishes, the German qualified in ninth and was set to finally get rid of the unlucky number eleven.

Yet, what could have been potential first points of the season for Hulkenberg turned into heartbreak when he was forced to retire his Audi.

The Midfield

After a race to forget in Monaco, Red Bull’s Verstappen crossed the line in fourth, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fifth.

Despite a slow getaway on lap 1 by Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar, who dropped near the rear end of the field, it was a comeback drive for the young Frenchman who finished sixth.

With both Antonelli and Leclerc out of the race, the two Alpine drivers, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, saw the chequered flag in seventh and eighth.

The Racing Bulls’ drivers of Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were there to pick up the pieces and the final points-paying positions in ninth and tenth, making it back-to-back double points for the team.

Post-Race Penalty for Colapinto

Despite Colapinto finishing the race in eighth on the road, the Argentinian dropped to tenth after a post-race 10-second time penalty was given for a yellow flag infringement.

With this penalty applied, both Lawson and Lindblad move up a position.

Lewis Hamilton takes maiden Ferrari grand prix win at Barcelona-Catalunya

The Championship Standings

As Hamilton claims maximum points, and the championship leader leaves Barcelona pointless, Antonelli’s lead has been cut.

The Italian star sits on 156 points, with Hamilton just 41 points behind on 115 points. Russell remains third, slightly further back, on 106 points.

Up next 

As the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix comes to a close, all eyes are on the Austrian Grand Prix in two weeks.

Can Hamilton keep the momentum going and put up a championship fight against Antonelli? Find out when the five red lights go out on Sunday, June 28th.

The Full Race Classification

1 – Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

2 – George Russell, Mercedes

3 – Lando Norris, McLaren

4 – Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

5 – Oscar Piastri, McLaren

6 – Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

7 – Pierre Gasly, Alpine

8 – Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

9 – Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

10 – Franco Colapinto, Alpine

11 – Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi

12 – Carlos Sainz, Williams

13 – Esteban Ocon, Haas

14 – Sergio Perez, Cadillac

15 – Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, DNF

16 – Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, DNF

17 – Oliver Bearman, Haas, DNF

NC – Alexander Albon, Williams, +11 laps

NC – Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

NC – Nico Hulkenberg, Audi

NC – Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac

NC – Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Leclerc hoping to bounce back ‘stronger’ in Austria after Barcelona GP
• Lewis Hamilton takes maiden Ferrari grand prix win at Barcelona-Catalunya
• Russell takes Barcelona-Catalunya GP pole by 0.064s over Hamilton
• Antonelli reprimanded for FP3 erractic driving at Barcelona-Catalunya GP
• Why are McLaren and Red Bull looking to appeal FIA Decision?
• Mercedes ‘assessing’ after Gasly Monaco P3 is reinstated
• Pierre Gasly elated despite ‘challenging’ practice at Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from ApexMotorsports.co.uk!