Barcelona-Catalunya GP: Martin Brundle’s verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s first Grand Prix win for Ferrari and Monaco speeding penalty ‘mess’ | F1 News

Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari on a dominant win in Barcelona. I love witnessing first hand greats like Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and now Lewis, taking a first victory for this iconic team. I wish we had enjoyed the same opportunity for Ayrton.

There have been, and remain, some truly outstanding teams over the decades of Formula 1 but somehow Ferrari remains the most emotive, because of all their incredible and passionate victories and championships, along with periods of chaos and decline. They are an enigma in our sport.

The story of the weekend was, as usual at this track, all about keeping tyres alive, especially given 50°C track temperatures. The long fast corners and relatively short straights in between generate incredible energy, and so tyre surface temperature.

Pirelli chose the mandatory three dry tyre compounds a step softer and less durable than last year, and with less downforce on the cars generating more sliding and wheel spin and therefore even more temperature, this meant we had what is for me the perfect scenario, a decent stretch to make it home competitively with two pit stops, and a track position with the associated necessary overtaking risk of stopping three times.

George Russell was in fine form across the weekend, having decided to go back to following his own instincts and set-up with his Mercedes. He looked calm and composed out on track, keeping his car nicely just on the edge of grip without overly stressing the tyres, certainly on the corners I was standing on.

Fiercely contested qualifying

Regulations dictate that each team must run a ‘rookie’ driver, someone who has started two or less F1 races, in four Free Practice One sessions per season, being two per car. Most drivers in F1 these days have benefited from that experience and showcase, but it can be painful when an incumbent driver is obliged to sit out the session and watch somebody else in their car out on track. Given the Barcelona track is so well known and used, there were seven such drivers in FP1 in the 22 cars.

This particularly impacted on Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli in his Mercedes. Given the all new look for 2026 cars they both commented on feeling behind the game leading up to qualifying.

Russell popped his Mercedes on pole position by a fraction of a second confirming his return to form, but equally impressively Lewis split the Mercedes for a front row start.

Lando Norris for McLaren completed the second row, the reigning world champion driving very nicely in a car which is not yet quite as fast as the Mercedes and has been subtly outperformed by Ferrari’s successful recent car updates in Montreal and Spain.

The grid was generally fiercely contested throughout, and whilst the Red Bull are fourth fastest team both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, who once again looked the closest anybody has been to Max in the team, were near to the fastest pace too.

It bode well for fans and viewers for the long drag race down to the first corner. The days where Ferrari had a big advantage away from the start, or indeed any advantage, are now gone. Mercedes and McLaren are up to speed in that respect, although Red Bull can still have some shockers like Verstappen in Monaco and Hadjar here in Spain.

Did Mercedes make the right strategy calls?

Given the race would be all about tyres and strategy there was no point whatsoever in taking risks in the first few corners and they all duly filed through largely on best behaviour.

Then we settled in for some tyre management, Charles Leclerc made up three places having started 10th after hitting the Turn 4 wall in final qualifying, and there was a little ducking and diving especially as Hadjar recovered some ground. Powering around the outside overtakes were in fashion.

First to pit stop to hand back his soft compound starting tyres was Hamilton on Lap 11 of 66.

To maintain the lead and avoid the powerful undercut of a rival flying along on fresh tyres, Mercedes stopped the leader Russell the next lap. George was a bit miffed because he felt he could have taken more life out of the tyre and extended his lead further if he had known, and believing he was on a successful two stop strategy whilst Lewis was now committed to a three stopper.

Norris stopped on Lap 13, and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri stopped on Lap 14, as did Antonelli giving him a small but important tyre life advantage over Russell and Hamilton.

Judging from transmitted radio calls, Mercedes seemed more concerned by the relentless presence of Norris rather than the three stopping Hamilton.

In the second half of each tyre stint Antonelli had a speed advantage to catch Russell, but couldn’t quite make the overtakes stick. This has been a theme generally so far this season and something George has to fix if he wants this championship. Nonetheless he kept the all-important lead of the two and would pit again on Lap 36. Antonelli was in Lap 37 to fend off Norris.

Lando would hang on to the top three all race, but tantalisingly just off the back of any real chance of catching and passing. Piastri was curiously off the pace throughout and would finish fifth but 58 seconds off the lead.

Hamilton would have won without VSC

Hamilton had made his second stop as early as Lap 27 and was flying along on the more durable tyre compounds. He was definitely an increasing threat to the two Mercs just as a ‘Virtual Safety Car’ was eventually deployed on Lap 40 to recover Fernando Alonso’s stricken Aston Martin.

It was perfect for Hamilton and Ferrari. While all your rivals are at heavily reduced speed, a pitstop here costs a nett 12 seconds rather than 22 at full racing speeds, meaning Lewis could pit and remain in the lead despite three-stopping.

The Virtual Safety Car ended conveniently just as Lewis left the pitlane. He could surely win his first Grand Prix for Ferrari, and impressively he then proceeded to check out up front and won by 19 seconds. Would he have won regardless of saving 10 seconds on that third and final stop? It’s hard to be certain because he would have needed to overtake Norris and the two Mercedes ordinarily, but my feeling is that he would have won anyway, such was his pace and tyre advantage in the closing stages.

Not long after Antonelli finally passed Russell his car ground to a halt with four laps to go. It was agonising for the championship leader, and suddenly, just a week after his majestic victory in Monaco, he now leads Hamilton by 41 points and Russell by 50. With 399 points still available this season that somehow doesn’t feel anything like as commanding a lead as it did on Saturday evening.

Antonelli was on the brink of a five-second penalty for track limits for much of the latter part of the race, and bizarrely, as a classified finisher but who didn’t see the chequered flag, he did actually get that penalty post-race.

A lap after Antonelli retired, the unfortunate Leclerc also had to park his Ferrari. He’s had a torrid time of late and he needs a very strong performance in the upcoming Austria and Silverstone races to re-establish himself because Hamilton is looking like the clear team leader now. Lewis’ last three race results read second, second, first.

Monaco speeding penalties and appeals a ‘mess’

There were 125,000 people who attended on race day but for the Spanish fans their likely heroes had a torrid time. Carlos Sainz was 12th for Williams and two laps behind, and as reported, Alonso retired his Aston Martin on Lap 37.

Franco Colapinto attracted a late penalty of 10 seconds for not slowing sufficiently under yellow flags which demoted him to 10th. His team-mate Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpine, having had his third place in Monaco the week before reinstated after appeal, with his two speeding penalties in that race being rescinded.

That’s a very complicated and uncomfortable decision. Other drivers in Monaco had served their penalties and adjusted strategies accordingly, and Russell’s race was destroyed, but because they were not post race penalties nothing was changed for them retrospectively in the results.

This will now be appealed by Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull who all lost out. Ferrari are not too bothered as it cost Mercedes and McLaren points. This also sets a precedent of not serving marginal in race penalties to preserve the right to contest them post race.

It’s all a mess with no easy solution. It turns out one of the timing loops in the Monaco pit lane was 77cm shorter than calibrated hence lots of 60.1kph recordings when the limit was 60kph. It had been a topic of correspondence since first practices, and some teams adjusted their limiters. There was clearly something amiss with so many identical offences, and it’s surprising that the stewards hadn’t been made aware. Lessons will be learned no doubt and the story will presumably run a while.

As a Brit and a former British F1 driver I was very proud to see three Union Jack flags on the podium for Hamilton, Russell, and Norris.

Lewis at 41 was the oldest winner of an F1 race since Jack Brabham in 1970, a full 19 years after his first victory for McLaren in 2007. That’s dedication and staying power for you.

Ferrari and McLaren will keep successfully developing their cars and power units, as will Mercedes, and I have no doubt now that we are in for a wide-open and unpredictable season.

Formula 1’s European season continues with the Austrian Grand Prix on June 26-28, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime