Lewis HamiltonPlayer·Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Spanish Grand PrixCompetition·Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona does more than end his wait for a first win in Ferrari red. It reshapes the record books and adds a fresh chapter to the long-running debate over Formula 1’s greatest careers.
The seven-time world champion now owns 106 Grand Prix victories, extending the benchmark he already held for most wins in Formula 1 history. His latest success is his first for Scuderia FerrariTeam·Scuderia Ferrari, and it completes a unique trilogy: Hamilton has now won races with McLarenTeam·McLaren, MercedesTeam·Mercedes and Ferrari, a combination no other driver has achieved.
Hamilton’s path to this moment runs through three of the sport’s defining teams. He took his first 21 victories with McLarenTeam·McLaren between 2007 and 2012, announcing himself as a title contender from his rookie season and converting that potential into championship glory. From 2013 to 2024 he added 74 wins with MercedesTeam·Mercedes, becoming the dominant force of the hybrid era and equalling Michael Schumacher’s tally of seven world titles.
The switch to Maranello at the start of 2025 carried weight far beyond a standard driver transfer. Ferrari remains the grid’s most storied name, and pairing the sport’s most decorated active driver with its most famous team immediately revived memories of other great alliances between champions and the Scuderia.
The first season of that partnership falls short of the expectations attached to such a move, with Hamilton unable to consistently challenge for victories. The second campaign, however, begins on a very different trajectory. He secures his first Ferrari podium as early as the second round of the year in China, finishing third and signalling that the car-driver package is finally converging.
Momentum continues to build. Podium finishes in Canada and Monaco, both in second place, show that Hamilton is not just collecting points but regularly contesting the front of the field. Each race sharpens the sense that a first win for Ferrari is coming; Barcelona confirms it.
The triumph in Spain also connects Hamilton to a select statistical group. With victories now recorded for both Ferrari and McLarenTeam·McLaren, he joins a shortlist of drivers who have won races for the two most successful teams in Formula 1 history. That list includes Niki LaudaPlayer·Niki Lauda, Alain ProstPlayer·Alain Prost, Gerhard BergerPlayer·Gerhard Berger, Fernando AlonsoPlayer·Fernando Alonso and Kimi RäikkönenPlayer·Kimi Räikkönen, all of whom left significant marks on both outfits.
Within that group, Lauda stands alone as a driver who has won world championships with both Ferrari and McLarenTeam·McLaren, taking titles with the Scuderia in 1975 and 1977 before adding a third crown with McLarenTeam·McLaren in 1984. Hamilton, already a world champion with McLarenTeam·McLaren and MercedesTeam·Mercedes, now has the opportunity to chase a unique triple-team legacy if he can convert his Ferrari stint into further titles.
His Barcelona win also carries immediate relevance for the current season. The result lifts Hamilton to second in the drivers’ standings, 41 points behind championship leader Andrea Kimi AntonelliPlayer·Andrea Kimi Antonelli. That gap is significant but far from insurmountable across a long calendar, particularly for a driver with Hamilton’s track record of sustaining title challenges deep into a season.
The performance in Spain will inevitably feed into wider legacy discussions. Hamilton already shares the record of seven world championships, leads outright in victories, pole positions and podiums, and has now won with three different constructors at the sharp end of the grid. Adding Ferrari to that list strengthens his case in any all-time conversation, not just statistically but emotionally, given the team’s central place in Formula 1’s mythology.
For Ferrari, the win is equally symbolic. A driver of Hamilton’s profile succeeding in their colours reinforces the sense of a renewed cycle in Maranello, one that looks back to past eras of partnership with multiple world champions while pointing towards a possible future title push.
The next phase of the season will test how durable this resurgence proves to be. The immediate questions are clear: can Hamilton convert this breakthrough into a sustained run of victories, and can he close down Antonelli’s lead to bring Ferrari into a full-scale title fight? What Barcelona already answers is whether Hamilton’s move to Maranello can deliver landmark moments. It has, and in doing so it has placed him in an even more exclusive corner of Formula 1 history.
Lewis Hamilton celebrates his F1 Grand Prix victory on the podium with George Russell and Lando Norris. Eibner/IMAGO
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