"This is a day I'll never forget," claims Hamilton after his magical maiden Ferrari …
Originally published by F1Technical
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton delivered a landmark performance as he claimed his first victory in Ferrari colours, a triumph built on bold strategy and relentless pace during his last stint.
Starting on the soft tyre, Hamilton attempted to attack George Russell into Turn 1 but could not complete the move, a detail that forced him into an earlier first stop than the Mercedes drivers and committed him to a three‑stop strategy.
From that point onward, however, he demonstrated the full potential of the upgraded Ferrari package. On both the medium and hard compounds he repeatedly closed down the gap to Russell, positioning himself to challenge for the lead on pure speed.
The decisive moment arrived when a Virtual Safety Car neutralised the race and handed Hamilton a cheap final pit stop, allowing him to rejoin in clean air and — crucially — in the lead. Once ahead, he was untouchable, pulling away with metronomic consistency and ultimately taking his maiden Ferrari win by nearly twenty seconds.
After climbing from the car, Hamilton spoke with unmistakable emotion about the significance of the moment. “This is an incredibly special moment. Winning my first race with Ferrari is something I've dreamt about since I was a child, and to finally achieve it feels incredible,” he said, openly acknowledging the difficult path that had led him to this point.
“There were moments last year when this moment felt almost impossible, but I’m so grateful to Fred for believing in me and everyone there for making me feel so at home.
"We’ve been working so hard all year and so many things have changed over the past months, and today is the result of all that effort," noted Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion emphasised the collective achievement behind the victory, praising both the trackside operation and the factory in Maranello. “I'm so proud of everyone, both here at the track and back in Maranello.
"The upgrades we brought this weekend performed exactly as we hoped, the car felt great, and the team executed everything perfectly. The pitstops were fantastic and every detail was handled brilliantly.”
He also highlighted the unique emotional dimension of winning for Ferrari. “I've been fortunate enough to experience many special moments in my career, but this one is different.
"Ferrari has the greatest fans in the world and seeing their passion, their energy and their support makes this victory even more meaningful. This is a day I'll never forget, and I hope it's the first of many wins that we can celebrate together.”
While Hamilton celebrated a breakthrough, Charles Leclerc endured another frustrating afternoon. After a strong launch from P10 to seventh and a clean overtake on Oscar Piastri, he spent much of the race battling Max Verstappen with competitive pace.
But a late power‑steering failure forced him to retire, marking his second consecutive race without seeing the chequered flag and denying him the chance to convert what had been a promising recovery drive.