Lewis Hamilton shares heartfelt message on team radio after Ferrari’s historic first win
Lewis Hamilton shared a heartfelt thank you with his team, fans, and family after his first win for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
He finished the race 19.5 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, with McLaren’s Lando Norris making it an all-British podium.
Starting in second place behind polesitter Russell, Hamilton held his spot for the first part of the race. The race changed when Ferrari tried a different strategy, bringing Hamilton in early for his third stint while the Mercedes drivers stayed out.
When Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin stopped on the track, Hamilton had already pulled ahead of the Mercedes cars after their second pit stops. This let him pit under the virtual safety car and keep his lead.
Hamilton came out of the pit three seconds ahead of Russell, then pulled away in the final laps from both Russell and Kimi Antonelli. There was a tense moment near the end when Antonelli and Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc stopped on the same lap, causing another virtual safety car. But Ferrari decided to keep Hamilton on the track, and he crossed the finish line first.
After the win, Hamilton sent a long, warm thank you to his team for their support over the past 18 months since he joined Ferrari. He said, “Grazie ragazzi! Thank you to everyone in Maranello for helping me live this dream. I’m so proud of all of you. To my family, I love you. And to the fans, thank you for always reminding me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you. Let’s go!”
In his post-race chat with former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton added, “A huge thanks to my Ferrari team and everyone at the factory. Fred Vasseur believed in me and brought me here. Last year, this dream felt almost impossible. But we never gave up. The team kept lifting me up, we made big improvements, and I’m lucky to have the best fans in the world. Thank you all so much.”
When asked how this win ranks among his best, Hamilton said, “They’re all special, but this one is different. Growing up, I watched Ferrari’s success on TV and always wondered what it would be like to win in their car. Now it’s happened. This is just the start. Forza Ferrari!”