A long-awaited day arrived at the Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton climbed to the top step of a podium in his first Grand Prix win with Ferrari.
While that victory took a long time to materialize, it did not take long for praise to pour in for the veteran driver from around the paddock.
Moments after Hamilton climbed out of his race-winning car, drivers including Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli came by to congratulate the living legend on the victory. Some of that praise spilled over to social media as well:
But that was only the beginning, as rivals old and new sang Hamilton’s praises in the media.
“Well done to Lewis,” said Williams team principal James Vowles, who worked with Hamilton at Mercedes. “I caught up with him in Monaco and it is great to see the spring back in his step. He drove a brilliant qualifying, and a brilliant race. Well deserved.”
“Congratulations to Ferrari and Lewis on the victory,” said Alpine boss Flavio Briatore. “It’s great to see a champion like Lewis on the top step once again, so well done to them on a fantastic race.”
Antonelli, the driver Hamilton is chasing in the Drivers’ Championship, began his post-race comments with a nod to the Ferrari driver.
“First of all, I’m very happy for Lewis because he’s been chasing that first win with Ferrari for so long and I’m really happy for him to see him succeed in that,” said the young Mercedes driver, who took Hamilton’s seat after the veteran moved to Ferrari.
Hamilton was joined on the podium by a pair of British drivers, former teammate George Russell and 2025 Drivers’ Champion Lando Norris, which made for the first all-British podium since the 1968 United States Grand Prix, which saw Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, and John Surtees take the top three positions.
Both Norris and Russell were full of praise for a driver they watched while “growing up,” starting trackside and then continuing into the FIA Press Conference.
“Yeah, I mean, first, a huge congrats to [Lewis] because I know how hard he works and obviously we spent a lot of years together with Mercedes,” said Russell trackside to Nico Rosberg. “So really pleased to see him back to Lewis I remember when I was growing up watching Formula 1. But, yeah, tough day. It’s good to be back on the podium and have a bit of a clean race from my side, but Ferrari mighty impressive today and, yeah, we need to keep on pushing.”
“Yeah. I guess, first of all, I want to congratulate Lewis. Nice to see him back on top, so I’m very happy for you, mate,“ added Norris trackside.
Both drivers were asked about Hamilton’s in the subsequent press conference.
“I think pretty cool. It’s pretty special. It’s nice. You know, the last few weekends he’s certainly seemed to have upped his game and as much as it, yeah, was something we once could kind of take advantage of and try and make the most of, it seems like he’s making the most of what he’s got now, and that’s cool to see,” started Norris.
“I grew up as a fan of Lewis and I don’t know if I would still say I’m like that kind of fan, but I’m still a fan of him. And as a seven-time World Champion, it’s always a pleasure to see those kinds of things. And with Ferrari again, it’s even cooler to kind of see that partnership come through and kind of pay dividends, as it is doing now. So, yeah, special.
“And also, to share the podium with him and then with George, to have three Brits up there, I think the first time since 1968, I think someone said. Pretty special, pretty cool for us to represent our country that way. And, yeah, I’m happy for him. I hope he’s not this fast the whole season, because it would be nice if we could battle a bit more, but good for him. I think you could see how much it meant to him. At the same time, he’s obviously had a lot of people talk badly about him and he’s got a lot of crap online from a lot of people, so it’s nice that he can stick the middle finger up to all of them,” concluded Norris.
“Yeah, I mean [Lando] said it pretty well. We both sort of grew up as fans of Lewis and, you know, for myself, spending three years together in Mercedes, so much respect. It was a big, bold move to join Ferrari, and to see it now paying off for him is very special to see given the magnitude of the decision. And, yeah, he’s going to be a real threat. So, as Lando said, hopefully it doesn’t continue for too long, but to be standing up here, three Brits, first time in 60 years, it’s a special feeling,” added Norris.
Joining in the chorus of praise was none other than Hamilton’s former boss.
“Congratulations to Lewis,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. “It has been a while since his last victory, and he has worked incredibly hard to earn the top spot again. We always say that if it can’t be one of our two drivers then we hope it is him. Despite the Virtual Safety Car helping him at the final stop, he drove a great race and is a fully deserving winner. I am also happy for Fred [Vasseur]. Being the Team Principal of Ferrari is not easy, and I am pleased for him as my friend.”
Time will tell if Sunday’s win sparks a title charge from Hamilton, but it was certainly a win that was enjoyed throughout the paddock.
