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George Russell has given a classy tribute to Lewis Hamilton as the seven-time world champion takes his first win in red in Barcelona.
Hamilton beat Russell by 19.4 seconds at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, executing a three-stop strategy aided by a well-timed Virtual Safety Car to claim his 106th F1 win and his first in Ferrari red.
Russell, who had started on pole and led the early laps, crossed the line 19.5 seconds back in second, with Lando Norris completing the podium in third.
Not a bad haul for the Mercedes driver, but obviously not what he came for either.
In the post-race interviews, Russell was asked directly about watching his former teammate finally get the win everyone in the paddock knew he was capable of. His response was exactly what you’d hope from someone who spent three years going wheel-to-wheel with the man.
“Yeah, I mean, first, huge congrats to this guy, because I know how hard he works,” Russell said. “And obviously, we spent a lot of years together at Mercedes, so I’m really pleased to see it.”
He admitted the bittersweet reality of his own afternoon, too. “It’s good to be back on the podium and have a bit of a clean race from my side. Ferrari was mighty impressive today, and yeah, we need to keep on pushing.”
Hamilton’s victory was his first since his final win for Mercedes at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, and it arrived in circumstances that made it feel like the sport exhaling.
At 41 years old, Hamilton beat Michael Schumacher‘s win record at this circuit, doing it against a Mercedes car that has been the class of the field all season.
His three-stop strategy comprehensively outperformed the two-stop calls from the Mercedes side, and both he and Russell picked up a significant points swing when championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired late while running second.
The two raced alongside each other from 2022, when Russell joined Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas. Three years of direct comparison at the same team, and Russell still calls it a pleasure to see him succeed.
The win was also the first of the 2026 season to go to a non-Mercedes car, which tells you everything about how hard Hamilton and Ferrari had to work to get here. The fact that Russell – the man most directly inconvenienced by it – was the first to offer congratulations says something about both of them.
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Hamilton beat Russell by 19.4 seconds at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, executing a three-stop strategy aided by a well-timed Virtual Safety Car to claim his 106th F1 win and his first in Ferrari red.
Russell, who had started on pole and led the early laps, crossed the line 19.5 seconds back in second, with Lando Norris completing the podium in third.
Not a bad haul for the Mercedes driver, but obviously not what he came for either.
In the post-race interviews, Russell was asked directly about watching his former teammate finally get the win everyone in the paddock knew he was capable of. His response was exactly what you’d hope from someone who spent three years going wheel-to-wheel with the man.
“Yeah, I mean, first, huge congrats to this guy, because I know how hard he works,” Russell said. “And obviously, we spent a lot of years together at Mercedes, so I’m really pleased to see it.”
He admitted the bittersweet reality of his own afternoon, too. “It’s good to be back on the podium and have a bit of a clean race from my side. Ferrari was mighty impressive today, and yeah, we need to keep on pushing.”
Why This Win Carried So Much Weight
Hamilton’s victory was his first since his final win for Mercedes at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, and it arrived in circumstances that made it feel like the sport exhaling.
At 41 years old, Hamilton beat Michael Schumacher‘s win record at this circuit, doing it against a Mercedes car that has been the class of the field all season.
His three-stop strategy comprehensively outperformed the two-stop calls from the Mercedes side, and both he and Russell picked up a significant points swing when championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired late while running second.
The two raced alongside each other from 2022, when Russell joined Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas. Three years of direct comparison at the same team, and Russell still calls it a pleasure to see him succeed.
The win was also the first of the 2026 season to go to a non-Mercedes car, which tells you everything about how hard Hamilton and Ferrari had to work to get here. The fact that Russell – the man most directly inconvenienced by it – was the first to offer congratulations says something about both of them.
Continue reading...
