Lewis Hamilton makes dream come true with first Ferrari win

Lewis Hamilton made one of his “wildest dreams” real at Ferrari in Spain on Sunday, with an emotional victory in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, which seemed impossible last season.

The Formula One great is far from a record eighth title, but the 41-year-old's first grand prix victory in nearly two years, and first since joining amid much fanfare at Maranello in January 2025, showed he was still in with a shout.

The record books are going to list it as record-extending career win number 106, but the seven-time champion will rank it among his most significant.

It will prove the naysayers wrong, justify his move to Ferrari, and could turbocharge the 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."

Last year was Lewis’ first with the sport's oldest and most glamorous team, and for the first time in his career, the Briton failed to stand on the podium and Ferrari ended the season without a victory.

Some critics suggested Lewis Hamilton was there more for his off-track appeal than anything he might do on it, 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 win, along with Mercedes's Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli retiring after five straight wins, also breathed new life into the championship as Hamilton is now 41 points behind the 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.