Lewis Hamilton delivers menacing ‘right team’ verdict after maiden Ferrari F1 win
Originally published by Motorsportweek
Lewis Hamilton drove a stellar race at the Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix to secure his first win as a Ferrari driver.
30 years ago, Michael Schumacher won his first F1 race for the iconic Italian marque at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
30 years later, Hamilton stood on the top step of the podium, as a Ferrari driver, for the first time after the Barcelona-Catalunya GP.
The Briton drove a brilliantly executed race to finish ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, respectively, after the 66-lap event.
After a disappointing debut season for Ferrari, last year, many had questioned his decision to leave Mercedes.
However, the last three races have seen him finish on the podium consistently, with the race on Sunday proving to be his crowning achievement.
Now, the seven-time World Champion has made a menacing admission.
“The team, they’ve been so kind. We come back to the garage after a difficult race and they’re like ‘Don’t worry, next time’,” he said answering a question from Motorsport Monday.
“They’re just so supportive through it all. For sure, results like this change everything and reinstate if there is a lack of confidence. I hope that’s this was a convincing gap and race.
“I think that it’s been happening over the last few races. The changes that I’ve asked for all of last year have been made.
“I now have the right team around me and I’ll have the right car around me and now I can start doing what I do best.”
The 2026 F1 winter-reset that unlocked performance for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari
2025 was a highly torrid year for both, Hamilton and the Maranello-based squad. That said, with the new regulations, it seems that everything has started to click between the duo.
Hamilton highlighted how despite all the negativity around him, on social media and otherwise, his family and friends helped him turn his performances around this season.
“I’m a human so there’s moments where I see the stuff and for sure there’s moments where I allowed it to get to me and penetrate deeply,” he said.
“I went through a sequence of unplugging from that matrix. I spent lots of time with family and lots of time with friends.
“Real people that know me, that have never doubted me, have stuck by me my whole life and I just went on a mission from Christmas.
“The training that I put in was harder than I’ve ever experienced. Kept myself in good shape.
“[The key] is to never second guess yourself. You’ve got to continue to believe in yourself. Those are the things that I’ve managed to re-implement into my mentality.
“I’ve rebuilt my mind to this point to get myself back to where I was and it’s a great feeling to stand on that podium.
“I was saying earlier on; I’m probably going to sleep in this red top tonight. It’s a good feeling to have the horse on there at the top.”
Hamilton will shift focus now to the Styrian hills as F1 moves onto the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian GP in two weeks’ time.