In his 31st grand prix start for Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton has finally taken the Scuderia to the top step of the podium, his first Formula 1 win in two years and his 106th career victory. In an upgraded SF-26, Hamilton opted for a front-footed three-stop strategy to put pressure on Mercedes' George Russell. And while aided by a virtual safety car to get track position on his former team-mate, Hamilton then obliterated the Mercedes with vastly superior pace in the final stint, suggesting the win was always going to be his and his alone.

And how much it meant to him was clear from his outburst of joy on the cooldown lap, to his tears watching on as his crew sang the Italian national anthem, to his embrace with team boss Fred Vasseur, the man who risked his own skin to bring Hamilton to Maranello in the first place.

A Hamilton and Ferrari win is arguably the feelgood story that F1 needed after a season start dominated by Mercedes, regulations talk and paddock politics. But it pales into comparison to how much Hamilton himself needed it after going a disastrous maiden season with Ferrari in 2025.

'Maybe it's true that you lose it'

What started off with a false dawn in the form of a sprint race win in China spiralled out of control as Hamilton found it tough to gel with his new surroundings. Leaving his comfort zone at Mercedes, Hamilton struggled to recreate the engineering set-up he had at Brackley, and despite everyone's best efforts he didn't have the same connection with 2025 race engineer Riccardo Adami that he had with his trusted Peter Bonnington.

It is no secret that Hamilton never got on particularly well with the previous set of ground-effect cars. But perhaps a change of scenery was what was needed, a fresh start in the twilight of an all-time great career. Instead, what followed was disillusionment after copping one uppercut after the other, which brought Hamilton to the brink.

Was moving to Ferrari a mistake? Had he lost the edge?

"Last year, there were definitely moments that I was like: 'Sheesh, maybe it is true that when you get to a certain point, you lose it'," Hamilton revealed.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images

The seven-time world champion sank so deep that Ferrari insiders were wondering if he would turn up again in 2026, and in which state. Those doubts didn't focus on Hamilton's enduring ability, but on whether he could build himself back up over such a short off-season after a soul destroying year.

"I truly believed in my decision to join Ferrari. I truly believed in 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," Hamilton reflected. 

"I’m only human. There’s moments where I see the stuff and there’s moments where I allowed it to get to me and penetrate deeply. But then I went through a sequence of unplugging from that matrix. I spent lots of time with family, lots of time with friends, real people that know me, that have never doubted me, have stuck by me my whole life." He also said he fed off uplifting messages from fans, like one tifoso who shouted "don't forget who you are" at him.

Hamilton had praised Ferrari and Vasseur had moved "mountains" to make things click. That involved a series of tough decisions, ranging from revamping Hamilton's engineering team to moving to a different braking configuration.

The SF-26 is also the first Ferrari to be developed using Hamilton's input, and while the power unit regulations aren't coming naturally to anyone, the way the chassis needs to be driven does resonate with Hamilton.

Over the Christmas period, Hamilton found the peace he needed and came back as prepared as he could be for 2026, in what felt like one last throw of the dice. Once he walked through the famous Ferrari gates in Maranello, Ferrari insiders say they saw a totally different person show up compared to the one that quietly shuffled out of the Abu Dhabi paddock some weeks before. A man who had banished his demons.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Starting into a new season, a new year, lots and lots of changes in the background enabled me to get to this position that I’m in today," Hamilton said, explaining Vasseur was the man who was enabling that turnaround to take place. He was also keen to give his new race engineer Carlo Santi - his Italian Bono - his flowers.

"If we are getting results, it's because collectively we are doing a good job" - Vasseur

Vasseur himself was modest about his own contribution, and also didn't want to single out individuals for praise in an effort to protect them from the Italian media's pressure cooker.

"I have zero merit on this. It's more Lewis himself," Vasseur said on Sunday night. "He was able to come back after a tough moment to do a full reset, to continue to come to the factory on Tuesday morning. This commitment is a huge support coming from a world champion. It was also a huge motivation for everybody at the factory.

"Carlo is part of the process and the fit between Carlo and Lewis is a good one. But we have to react as a group in the good and the bad moments. When it's a bad moment, I'm trying to protect the team and to take the blame for myself. Today, I don't want to put a department or someone in front. If we are getting results, it's because collectively we are doing a good job."

Inevitably, as championship leader Kimi Antonelli retired with more Mercedes reliability concerns, Hamilton's Barcelona win reignited talk over an eighth world title, with the Briton now seemingly in the hunt just 41 points behind.

But perhaps that's subject for a different time. Sunday was a thought-provoking day in Catalonia packed with lessons about resilience, bouncing back from adversity, about surrounding yourself with the right people, but also a cautionary tale on how we're often too quick to write off elite athletes simply because of their age.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Thirty years on from watching Michael Schumacher take his maiden Ferrari grand prix win on TV at the same venue, Hamilton no longer has to wonder what it would be like to take the chequered flag as a Ferrari winner, or what it would feel like to watch his Italian mechanics sing 'Il Canto degli Italiani' in front of the podium. On Sunday, he could see it with his own eyes.

"To be in that red suit, standing in front of that amazing crew singing the national anthem was really amazing to witness and to see the joy in their eyes and to feel it with them. I nearly passed out after I hugged them," Hamilton enthused.

"My heart was exploding with joy."

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- The Autosport.com Team