BARCELONA, June 15 — Lewis Hamilton seemed to be chasing an impossible dream at Ferrari last season but, in Spain yesteray, he made it a reality with an emotional victory in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The Formula One great remains a long way from a record eighth title, but the 41-year-old's first grand prix win in nearly two years, and his first since arriving at Ferrari with much fanfare in January 2025, showed he remains firmly in contention.
The record books will list it as a record-extending 106th career victory, but the Briton is likely to rank it among his most significant.
It was a win that proved the doubters wrong, vindicated his decision to join Ferrari and could provide a major boost to the Italian team.
"How do you find the right words to express an emotion that's beyond your wildest dreams?" Hamilton asked after finally being dragged away from an endless round of television interviews at the Circuit de Catalunya.
"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."
Feared he might never win again
Last year, Hamilton failed to secure a podium finish and Ferrari ended the season without a victory.
Some critics suggested the Briton was at Ferrari more for his off-track appeal than what he could deliver on the circuit — a great driver entering the twilight of his career who might never win again.
"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 had race engineer Carlo Santi on the podium with him, said every win was special.
"But this one, this one's something else.
"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 momentum had been building, with Hamilton finishing third in China in March before runner-up finishes in Canada and Monaco.
However, victory still represented a major step forward, with his former team Mercedes having gone unbeaten in the previous six races before Barcelona.
"There's so much work that I've done, I’m doing in the background but also, again, the team are giving me that confidence with the changes that we've made, believing and trusting in the decisions and the things that I've asked for," said Hamilton.
"And we're slowly starting to see this all come together."
The victory, coupled with Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli's retirement after five consecutive wins, has also breathed new life into the title race, with Hamilton now 41 points behind the 19-year-old Italian.
"It's a long, long way to go and they still have great pace, as you can see. 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," said Hamilton.
