Hamilton adds to his legend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Lewis Hamilton has once again written a glorious chapter in the history of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The British driver claimed victory in the FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRAN PREMIO DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA 2026, a triumph steeped in symbolism that makes him the driver with the most wins at the Catalan circuit — seven in total — surpassing the record he previously shared with Michael Schumacher.

In front of the 124,870 fans who packed the circuit’s grandstands today, Hamilton secured his 106th career victory and his first since joining Ferrari. The Briton brought an end to Mercedes’ clean sweep of victories in the 2026 season, delivering a performance that will go down in the Grand Prix’s history.

The crowd’s response once again confirmed the enduring popularity of F1 in Barcelona. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya recorded a total attendance of 301,273 spectators throughout the event — figures that reflect the success of a spectacularly raced edition and a memorable Sunday.

The seventh race of the year got underway with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the front row, each with a very different strategy – a factor that proved pivotal in determining the outcome. With Russell in the lead, Hamilton made his first pit stop on lap 12, making it clear that he would need at least two more tyre changes.

For much of the race, Russell, Hamilton and Antonelli held the top three positions. It wasn’t until the halfway point of the race that a series of events unfolded that shaped the finale. Fernando Alonso triggered a Virtual Safety Car after coming to a halt just in front of Alonso Land at Turn 9 of the Circuit. Russell and Antonelli had already made their pit stops, but Hamilton took the opportunity to head down the pit lane.

The Ferrari driver was already in the lead when his rivals pitted, and he managed to hold onto that position even after his own pit stop. At that point, the race was effectively sealed. The seven-time world champion demonstrated superior pace, steering his way to victory with great consistency.

Interestingly, Hamilton took two honours from the home drivers: Ferrari’s last victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was achieved by Fernando Alonso in 2013, and the Maranello team’s most recent F1 win was secured by Carlos Sainz in 2024.

Lewis Hamilton: “I want to thank the team, and Fred in particular, for believing in me and bringing me to Ferrari. Last year I embarked on a dream that seemed impossible, but we never lost hope. Although all my victories have been special, this one is different. I’ve always seen Ferrari succeed and I’ve always wondered what it would mean to win in this car. Now I know. I’ll be eternally grateful.”

The Mercedes cars, for their part, spent more than 10 laps battling for the podium places. With five laps to go before the chequered flag, Antonelli finally managed to overtake Russell, but his joy was short-lived. The World Championship leader came to a halt a lap later, retiring from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Russell thus secured second place for the day, whilst a delighted Lando Norris took to the podium with a distinctly British flavour. This marks the first podium featuring three British drivers since 1986.

With today’s results, Lewis Hamilton has narrowed the gap in the points standings and now sits just 25 points behind the current leader, Kimi Antonelli.

Max Verstappen finished fourth, followed by Oscar Piastri in fifth and Isack Hadjar in sixth. This group of drivers also benefited from Charles Leclerc’s hydraulic problem, a setback that forced him to retire just seconds after Antonelli. In contrast to Hamilton’s joy, the Monegasque driver has had two weekends to forget – Monaco and Barcelona – with zero points scored.

The Grand Prix has also proved difficult for Carlos Sainz. The Williams driver was caught off guard on Friday by a lack of pace, and today he finished outside the points. The Madrid-born driver came 12th.

F2: Camara and Tsolov steal the show

With completely different strategies, Rafael Camara (Invicta Racing) and Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing) were the centre of attention in the F2 feature race at the Circuit. These rivals finished first and second respectively on the track and dominated a race characterised by differing pit-stop strategies.

Camara started from pole position, although in the early stages he was overtaken by Alexander Dunne (Rodin Motorsport). Camara was one of the front-runners who stretched his pit stop the longest, losing numerous positions upon rejoining from the pit lane. Even so, his new tyres allowed him to maintain an excellent pace that many of his rivals were unable to match due to advanced tyre degradation.

With Camara returning to the lead, a position he confirmed after 60 minutes of racing, Nikola Tsolov shone in the final 10 laps. So much so that, shortly before the chequered flag, the Campos driver wasn’t even running in the top five. Little by little, Fernando Alonso’s protégé worked his way up to a well-deserved second place, which he was ultimately unable to secure, as race control imposed a five-second penalty that relegated him to fourth place.

Dunne thus inherited second place for the day, whilst Gabriele Mini moved up to third on the podium on paper. Mari Boya, meanwhile, finished last in 21st place after another Sunday to forget.

F3: Campos Racing confirms its pace at the Circuit

Campos Racing secured another victory today with its driver Théopile Naël, who has signed off on his best weekend so far this year. The Frenchman appears to be closing in on the group of leading drivers with his first victory in the category and valuable points accumulated across the two races. Furthermore, Naël leaves Barcelona in second place in the championship standings.

Naël, this season’s pole position king, made the most of his starting position and never let it slip. Hiyu Yamakoshi (Van Amersfoort Racing) was hot on his heels from the moment the lights went green, and they crossed the finish line separated by a hair’s breadth. Both maintained a lead of just over a second.

Third place on the podium was much more hotly contested, with numerous riders vying for it. Ugo Ugochukwu was the lucky one who finally secured it, although Bruno del Pino did not make it easy for him. Ugochukwu secured another podium finish for Campos Racing, which ends the weekend with a double triumph on home soil. The American thus makes up for yesterday’s zero points and remains at the top of the championship.

For his part, Bruno del Pino came very close to the podium, but in the final stages of the race he was seen to be struggling, particularly due to tyre degradation. In the end, the Catalan finished sixth in the race and remains in the top three of the provisional standings.

Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup: A resounding victory for Schuring

Flynt Schuring (Schumacher CLRT) took top honours in the sole Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Dutchman showed great cunning, steadily climbing through the field from his fifth place on the grid.

Paul Cauhaupe (Martinet by Almeras) retained his second place on the grid, keeping the championship leader and his team-mate, Theo Oeverhaus, at bay, with Oeverhaus finishing third. Keagan Masters, Saturday’s pole-sitter, had to settle for fifth place.

The Formula 1® Barcelona Fan Village comes to a successful close

Over the course of five days, the Formula 1® Barcelona Fan Village offered entertainment, music and fun. With free admission, a total of 50,660 visitors and Barcelona residents were able to experience the world of F1 through a variety of activities.

A sustainable event

Under the 3C management philosophy (Conscience, Commitment and Consistency), which integrates social, economic and environmental aspects, the Circuit works to achieve responsible activity in its mission ‘Driving for a better future’, within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

This GP, which is certified to ISO 20121 and ISO 14001 standards, is once again proud to be held at Catalonia’s largest public self-consumption photovoltaic facility. The Catalan racetrack has a total of 2,319 solar panels that generate 50% of the energy consumed.

Other promoted actions are the rental of low-emission generators, the donation of surplus food, the offer of km0 and ecological food, the presence of drinking water sources in the public areas, the improvement of the biodiversity of the green areas, the collaboration with companies with social value, the valorisation and recycling of waste, the promotion of sustainable mobility, the use of the circular economy and many more.