Six months on from his blunt criticism of Ferrari\u2019s F1 drivers, Ferrari chairman John Elkann has praised Lewis Hamilton for an \u201cemotional\u201d and \u201cvery important\u201d first win in red.<\/p>\n
Hamilton clinched Ferrari\u2019s first Grand Prix win since 2024 in Barcelona on Sunday, where Ferrari\u2019s strategy team masterminded a race-winning three-stop strategy, and Hamilton did the rest.<\/p>\n
John Elkann praises Lewis Hamilton after Ferrari victory<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Hamilton<\/a> lined up second on the grid ahead of Sunday\u2019s 66-lap race, but it was a race that initially looked to be in Mercedes\u2019 control as George Russell held onto P1 off the line and controlled the pace.<\/p>\n Ferrari played its cards with Hamilton as he was the first of the top ten to pit for fresh tyres, in on Lap 11. Mercedes responded by pitting Russell, who wasn\u2019t happy with the call but he maintained his lead by two seconds ahead of his compatriot.<\/p>\n Ferrari was the first to throw the dice again in the second round of pit stops, with Hamilton stopping on Lap 28 to swap onto a second set of medium Pirelli tyres. This time Mercedes didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n Hamilton sliced his way through the field, getting ever closer to the Mercedes teammates, with Russell eventually in on Lap 36. As the strategies played out, it was Hamilton who led having had seven full-gas laps. <\/p>\n A Virtual Safety Car on Lap 41 was the final blow to Mercedes, with Hamilton into the pits for a fresh stop. Pitting from first place, and out in first place. \u201cAnd you are in front!\u201d was the message to Hamilton from his race engineer Carlo Santi.<\/p>\n With fresh tyres bolted onto his SF-26, Hamilton put an end to Mercedes\u2019 challenge as he stormed into the distance. He won the Grand Prix 19.561s ahead of Russell.<\/p>\n \u201cGrazie a tutti, Maranello,\u201d he said over the radio. \u201cThank you so much. You\u2019ve helped me achieve this dream, and I can\u2019t thank you enough. <\/p>\n \u201cThanks for everyone pushing so hard back at home. I\u2019m so proud of you. <\/p>\n \u201cTo my family, I love you. To my fans, thank you for continuing to remind me who I am. I couldn\u2019t have done this without you.<\/p>\n \u201cGrazie!\u201d<\/p>\n Ferrari chairman Elkann was one of the first to congratulate Hamilton on his first success as a Ferrari driver.<\/p>\n \u201cWell done Lewis, on your first great victory with Ferrari: an emotional moment and a very important result, which belongs to the entire team and to all our fans,\u201d Elkann said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to thank everyone for the determination, sacrifice and collective effort that they demonstrate every day with passion and Ferrari spirit, both at the track and in Maranello.<\/p>\n \u201cMy thanks also go to the other Ferrari team, which tackled an incredibly demanding 24 Hours of Le Mans with pride, unity and great professionalism, fighting until the very end.<\/p>\n \u201cForza Ferrari.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton\u2019s maiden Ferrari victory<\/p>\n The data behind Lewis Hamilton\u2019s first Ferrari win as VSC debate settled<\/a><\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton achieves Ferrari \u2018impossible dream\u2019 with emotional Barcelona GP breakthrough<\/a><\/p>\n Elkann\u2019s praise comes just months after he launched a broadside at Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after a double retirement at the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Slipping down the standings, Elkann pointed the finger at his drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we look at the Formula 1 championship, we can say that on one hand we have our mechanics, who are actually are winning the championship with their performance and everything they\u2019ve done on the pit stops,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we look at our engineers, there\u2019s no doubt that the car has improved. If we look at the rest, it\u2019s not up to par.<\/p>\n \u201cWe certainly have drivers, for whom it\u2019s important that they focus on driving and talk less, because we still have important races ahead of us and it\u2019s not impossible to get second place.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferrari did not secure second place last season, with the team P4 in the Constructors\u2019 standings<\/a>. This year, though, the team is sitting in second place after seven race weekends, 49 points ahead of McLaren but 72 points behind championship leaders Mercedes.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n