Lewis Hamilton scripted history in Barcelona by claiming his first victory while clad in Ferrari red. This also marked his first victory in two years. Kimi Antonelli’s winning streak also ended this weekend.
Apart from these moments, we covered all the highlights from the 2026 Barcelona Catalunya GP in The Sports Side’s Biggest Hits and Misses format.
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Hit: Lewis Hamilton gets his maiden Ferrari Win
The biggest story from the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP is, without a doubt, Lewis Hamilton’s 106th career victory and his maiden win with Ferrari. Hamilton endured a very difficult debut season with the Maranello-based outfit, failing to secure even a single podium finish.
The Briton began to doubt himself and his abilities after that difficult campaign. Ferrari made some necessary adjustments during the off-season and provided him with a car that better suited his driving style. It also took several upgrades for the team to reach a level where Hamilton could consistently fight for victories.
A well-timed Virtual Safety Car(VSC), combined with his strong pace on fresh tyres, helped the Ferrari driver secure his first win in more than two years. Antonelli’s retirement also reduced Hamilton’s deficit to the championship leader to 41 points.
Miss: Antonelli DNF
Before today’s race, every Mercedes-powered team had suffered at least one reliability issue that either caused a retirement or prevented a driver from starting a race. Kimi Antonelli was the only driver to avoid such problems, but his luck finally ran out in Barcelona.
The championship leader was forced to retire due to a power unit issue, ending his impressive winning streak.
He still holds a 41-point lead over Hamilton, but Mercedes must address its reliability concerns if it does not want to jeopardize its championship hopes.
Hit: George Russell bounces back
George Russell’s podium finish does not fully reflect the struggles he endured during the Barcelona GP. Mercedes looked vulnerable throughout the race, and things became even more difficult when Russell switched to the hard tyres, as he struggled with both balance and pace.
The Briton endured a difficult second half of the race and was outpaced by Hamilton. He was also vulnerable to teammate Antonelli, who appeared to have a stronger pace before his retirement.
Fortunately for Russell, Antonelli’s DNF promoted him to second place, allowing him to leave Barcelona with valuable points.
Miss: Charles Leclerc DNF
Ferrari has brought significant upgrades in the last two races, which have improved the car a lot. Hamilton has benefited from this, but in the other garage, Leclerc has been unable to capitalize on that. He crashed in Q3 of the Barcelona GP and was starting from P10, but Monaguese was lacking pace throughout the race, and his retirement due to a brake issue was the final nail in the coffin, ending another weekend on a low.
Hit: Alpine’s turnaround
Alpine arrived in Barcelona facing several issues, with the Enstone-based team struggling to understand its lack of pace. Pierre Gasly even switched chassis during the weekend, but it made little difference as the car continued to underperform.
Alpine’s managing director described the team’s Friday performance as “a punch in the face” after its encouraging form in Monaco. Both drivers qualified on the seventh row, highlighting the team’s poor one-lap pace.
However, things improved on race day. Alpine’s race pace was considerably stronger than its qualifying pace, allowing both drivers to move forward through the field. Gasly and Franco Colapinto both made strong starts, managed their tyres effectively, and Gasly also benefited from a well-timed Virtual Safety Car.
Gasly finished seventh, while Colapinto crossed the line eighth before a penalty dropped him to 10th. Despite the setback, both Alpines still finished in the points.
After a difficult first two days, it was an impressive recovery from the French outfit.
Miss: Nico Hulkenberg’s bad luck
How unlucky Nico Hülkenberg has been throughout his career, the Barcelona GP incident can perfectly sum it up. During the race, Liam Lawson’s car displaced some gravel, which hit the kill switch of the German driver’s car, ending his race.
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