Hamilton claims his first Ferrari win at Barcelona Grand Prix
MONTMELO, Spain: Lewis Hamilton claimed his first victory for Ferrari on Sunday at the Barcelona-Catalunya Formula One Grand Prix, ending championship leader Kimi Antonelli’s five-race winning streak. The seven-time world champion finished ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, while Antonelli was forced to abandon in the final stages because of a technical problem. Hamilton, 41, cut down Antonelli’s title lead to 41 points by triumphing on a Sunday nearly two years after he last won a race. “It’s not over, that’s for sure,” said Hamilton, also second in Monaco last weekend, of the championship race. Mercedes polesitter Russell came in 19 seconds behind Hamilton, with Norris completing an all-British podium, the first since the 1968 United States Grand Prix. “You have helped me so much to achieve this dream, I cannot thank you enough,” said Hamilton over team radio, after becoming the first driver for a team other than Mercedes to win a race this season. “To the fans, thank you for reminding me who I am. I couldn’t have done this without you.” Russell, pre-season favorite for the championship, arrived in Barcelona bemoaning bad luck for his recent struggles but after team-mate Antonelli edged in front of him late on he had some good fortune to cut the gap on the teenager to 50 points after the Italian abandoned.
