Freak kill switch incident stuns F1; boss\u2019 fury in emotional title shake-up \u2014 Wrap<\/a><\/p>\n‘It’s not over that’s for sure’ | 00:57<\/p>\n
HAMILTON JOINS THE HONOUR ROLL<\/p>\n
Hamilton is the 41st driver to win a race for Ferrari, and the feat comes with some satisfying statistical symmetries.<\/p>\n
He becomes the 16th driver to win races with three or more teams, having won grands prix with McLaren and Mercedes before Ferrari. He shared the podium with George Russell of Mercedes and Lando Norris of McLaren.<\/p>\n
The last time Hamilton took the chequered flag in first place was the 2024 British Grand Prix. Just as was the case this weekend, he started the race second alongside pole-getter George Russell. It also happened to be the previous time Lance Stroll outqualified Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin.<\/p>\n
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton. AP Photo\/Fatima ShbairSource: AP<\/p>\n
Victory in Barcelona came almost 30 years to the day since Michael Schumacher won his first race for Ferrari at the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix at the same venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have been at home on my couch watching that race,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd just looking at that red car and thinking, \u2018I wonder what it\u2019s like sitting in that red cockpit?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to experience last year, but then be in that red suit, standing in first place in front of that amazing crew who was singing the national anthem \u2026 I nearly passed out after I hugged them. My heart was exploding with joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first step of our story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team boss Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Vasseur expressed similar sentiments with fewer words.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big oof,\u201d he told Sky Sports. \u201cIt was one year and a half a bit difficult, with ups and downs, and to win today is a huge push for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
IS HAMILTON IN THE TITLE FIGHT?<\/p>\n
The season\u2019s first non-Mercedes grand prix victory could be more than a well-timed morale booster for Ferrari, though.<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s performance was impressive. Hamilton\u2019s victory wasn\u2019t simply earned, it was dominant.<\/p>\n
Though the virtual safety car got him into the lead, his 19.561-second victory margin was almost twice as big as the roughly 10 seconds he saved pitting during the caution period. He would have had to make passes for the lead, but he appeared to have more than enough pace in hand to get the job done.<\/p>\n
Hamilton overcome after iconic victory | 01:27<\/p>\n
That is to say \u2014 just to emphasise the point \u2014 Ferrari was genuinely the quicker car on Sunday, including quicker than the previously untouchable Mercedes.<\/p>\n
At only 41 points behind Antonelli \u2014 and with Ferrari only 72 points behind Mercedes \u2014 is this the start of a bigger championship battle?<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, with the way that the year started out, I have not really been thinking about it like that,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cI\u2019ve not been thinking about an eighth F1 2026, Spanish Grand Prix: Mercedes team orders threat emerges, Lewis Hamilton win sparks title question, talking points.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know we have this power deficit. There\u2019s going to be tracks where we go to with long, long straights where that makes it even harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019ve got a great car at the core, and if we keep adding performance and we can go through the corners quicker, maybe we can narrow that deficit down a little bit until we improve or until we close the gap on power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Race winner Lewis Hamilton. Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Hamilton raises two important points.<\/p>\n
The first is that the Ferrari chassis does genuinely appear to be class leading at the moment. Lando Norris even said that if Ferrari \u201chad a better engine, they\u2019re dominating \u2026 they\u2019ll embarrass everyone\u201d.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no coincidence this particularly good performance came at the same weekend Ferrari brought is latest major upgrade package, with the team listing more updated parts on Friday than any other constructor.<\/p>\n
The second is that, while Ferrari lacks engine power, it\u2019s in line for two engine upgrade concessions this season. There are rumours that, once given final FIA approval, the first upgraded engine could be in the car as soon as the end of the month.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m trying to calm down bad comments and too enthusiastic comments,\u201d Vasseur said. \u201cIt\u2019s not that we were nowhere two weeks ago and we are world champion today.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut for sure it\u2019s a good push in terms of confidence, also for him this weekend, and it will be a new start for us here.\u201d<\/p>\n
You got the sense, though, that Hamilton is willing to believe.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing\u2019s impossible,\u201d he said to Sky Sports. \u201cJust one step at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019M UNDERWHELMED\u2019: MERC\u2019S DUBIOUS RELIABILITY <\/p>\n
While Hamilton celebrated new joys with Ferrari, Mercedes was tasting bitter defeat for the first time this season.<\/p>\n
But the disappointment was about more than just a victory lost.<\/p>\n
Antonelli\u2019s late-race retirement is the second engine-related DNF for the works team in the last three weekends, following George Russell\u2019s stoppage at the Canadian Grand Prix while in the lead.<\/p>\n
It also follows Lando Norris\u2019s Mercedes-powered McLaren packing it in during the Monaco Grand Prix with engine trouble \u2014 following a failure during practice in Monte Carlos earlier during that weekend.<\/p>\n
Antonelli & Leclerc retire on same lap! | 00:56<\/p>\n
Not to be forgotten also was McLaren\u2019s double failure to start in China, which was also put down to the Mercedes power unit.<\/p>\n
Unreliability has become a major factor in this early stage of the championship battle, and with Ferrari upping the pressure, Mercedes is feeling the sting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m underwhelmed,\u201d Wolff said, per Racer. \u201cWe can\u2019t DNF cars in a kind of regular or continued way.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing 25 points in the constructors championship in Montreal and losing another 18 points today \u2014 in order to finish first, first you have to finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cReliability \u2014 this is what we need to get on top of, and that\u2019s number one. Nobody is happy about that, and we will leave no stone unturned to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercedes’ British driver George Russell. Photo by Lluis GENE \/ AFPSource: AFP<\/p>\n
The failures all appear related to the battery side of the power unit, but somewhat concerningly, Wolff admitted they were all unconnected issues, which has made the underlying problem hard to solve.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet what was the cause of the failure [for Antonelli],\u201d he said. \u201cMost of the others were battery related, but different failures; they were not always the same, so we need to understand what it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly, the symptom was quite similar, like with George in Montreal, where the car just switched off. We will be really digging deep to make sure that this doesn\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Antonelli of course had more than enough points in the bank to absorb the DNF. His lead is a still very healthy 41 points, and he has 50 points \u2014 two clear race wins \u2014 over Russell in hand. Really he\u2019s just equalised with Russell for technical retirements for the year.<\/p>\n
But the reliability question is clearly on his mind all the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a concern, because we\u2019ve had several issues so far in the year,\u201d he said. \u201cOur package is really strong, but it is a point that we need to work on, because losing so many points at these kinds of races hurts.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne very strong point of [Ferrari] is reliability. Their power unit is very reliable. For sure if they keep putting strong performances like this, they\u2019re going to be a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
BAD NEWS FOR RUSSELL<\/p>\n
Russell\u2019s much-needed pole position was heralded as a turnaround on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
By Sunday, however, some of the air had gone out of the Briton\u2019s balloon.<\/p>\n
Antonelli had proved once again that he is the quicker Mercedes driver.<\/p>\n
The Italian refused to allow his teammate to run his own race, and he dialled up the pressure in the second and third stints.<\/p>\n
He eventually burst through Russell\u2019s defences late in the race, pinching second place from him with a well-judged move through the first sector on lap 61 of 66.<\/p>\n
It was only when his engine failed that Russell moved back up to second. He\u2019d otherwise looked comprehensively beaten.<\/p>\n
Russell irked by Merc’s pit strategy | 00:46<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is my pace wasn\u2019t quite strong enough today,\u201d he said, suggesting his compromised tyre strategy was to blame \u2014 though Antonelli was on fundamentally the same strategy.<\/p>\n
This is a concern for Russell on a competitive level. He\u2019s done much soul-searching in recent weeks, and while he was clearly a better match this weekend, that it wasn\u2019t enough to completely overhaul Antonelli will trigger some worry.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s the timing that makes things worse for the Briton.<\/p>\n
Until this weekend we\u2019ve been talking about the title fight as an exclusive Mercedes affair. In that situation, Russell would have the freedom to find his way as he likes.<\/p>\n
But if Ferrari is now in the mix, the complexion of his season changes.<\/p>\n
It was interesting to hear Mercedes boss Toto Wolff muse after the race that his team might have had a better shot at winning the grand prix had Russell been told to hand the faster Antonelli the lead as soon as he caught him.<\/p>\n
Second placed George Russell of Great Britain. Photo by Clive Rose\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we tried to race fair in the team game, but maybe it cost us the win today,\u201d he told Sky Sports. \u201cThat\u2019s something we need to discuss with the drivers, how we\u2019re doing it if we\u2019re fighting somebody else for the race win.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey raced each other quite hard before George\u2019s stop, and I think we lost about four, five, six seconds to Lewis.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorge and Kimi racing hard and leaving lap time on the track \u2014 we need to discuss with them for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton was 19 seconds behind Russell at the end of lap 30, when Antonelli got himself within a second of the lead.<\/p>\n
Just six laps later \u2014 six laps during which Antonelli shadowed Russell by less than a second throughout \u2014 Hamilton was just six second adrift.<\/p>\n
This, more than the virtual safety car, made his race.<\/p>\n
Or, put another way: this, more than the virtual safety car, condemned Mercedes to defeat.<\/p>\n
Mercedes had already foreshadowed in Canada that it wouldn\u2019t be afraid to enact team orders if it felt victory was at risk.<\/p>\n
But the extension of that has to be that if Hamilton really does start closing down the gap, will Mercedes consider throwing its weight behind one driver as its lead championship candidate?<\/p>\n
With a 50-point deficit, that would be a deeply worrying scenario for Russell.<\/p>\n
\u2018SOME WORK TO DO\u2019 FOR MCLAREN<\/p>\n
Ferrari has clearly displaced McLaren this weekend. After promising practice pace, neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri had much to offer the leaders.<\/p>\n
Norris drover a solid race but needed Antonelli to retire to get himself onto the podium. The team must also consider itself fortunate that Charles Leclerc qualified down the order rather than maximise his race-winning car.<\/p>\n
Piastri, though struggled significantly. Looking nothing like the dominant force he was at this track last year, he finished an anonymous fifth, gaining a place from Leclerc\u2019s late retirement but taking the flag 34.942 seconds behind his teammate, his biggest finish-line deficit of the season.<\/p>\n
The Australian had no real answer for his difficulties.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly some work for us to do \u2014 there\u2019s work for me to do, because it was not a an easy race,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just struggled with grip and pace throughout the race, so we weren\u2019t able to make any progress. The conditions today were also very different to Friday, where we felt a bit stronger. We need to do some work to understand why we found it so difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of the explanation could be the sweltering conditions, with the track temperature soaring past 50\u00b0C at the start of the race. That in turn meant grip was low as the tyres degraded rapidly, and we know that\u2019s the sort of environment in which Piastri struggles.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s also no escaping that McLaren is falling behind in the development race. Norris was close but not close enough to Mercedes, but Ferrari has raised the bar for victories again, leaving McLaren well adrift.<\/p>\n
It finally ran its new front wing this weekend, having removed it from the car over the last two grands prix, but it will need its next big upgrade package to work faster and smoother if it\u2019s going to generate some momentum. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton has entered the chat. Some said he couldn\u2019t do it. For a time, even he seemed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":737026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-737025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=737025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/737026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=737025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=737025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=737025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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