This day in Spain will famously be remembered for the first Ferrari victory scored by Sir Lewis Hamilton. And it was no gift. After starting from the front row and splitting the two factory Mercedes in the early race phase, Lewis dramatically chose to make a second tyre change – to medium Pirellis – at the perfect moment. His mid-race pace on the softer tyres quickly elevated him to the front when the Mercs stopped for their second set of hards – and Lewis always seemed likely to be there at the finish, despite a third pit stop that was looming. Then fate stepped in – just as it had in Abu Dhabi, 2021, when Nicholas Latiffi’s retirement brought out the Safety Car. On this occasion, Fernando Alonso stopped his slow Aston Martin-Honda at T9; Ferrari missed an immediate pit stop but the Virtual Safety Car conditions were still current as Lewis came round again. He emerged from the pit lane just in front of George Russell’s Mercedes. Head down on slightly newer Pirelli hards, Lewis then drove away to win by the astounding margin of 19.5sec. Kimi Antonelli passed Russell in a sensational move with six laps to go…but then stopped on track with a dead engine. Russell thus finished second, ahead of McLaren-Mercedes’ Lando Norris, Red Bull-RBPT Ford’s Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren and Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull. Peter Windsor in this video looks back at a red-letter day in Spain – in every sense of the word.
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The problem I was expecting to see – was Lewis pushing on the soft tyres once he didn't get past. I think George and Mercedes were expecting it – or that they were seeing Lewis' full pace. Instead, we saw Lewis confident and relaxed in the car – waiting for his opportunity, and then getting in a position to challenge for the win.
The 8th is on for Lewis! Mercedes reliability is a problem.
What I love about this channel is that Peter is getting into it second 1 of the video every times. Except this time, 15 secs useless intro. No big deal but just saying
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Well said about Lewis in abu Dhabi peter, 🙏 ,
From an old smibster .👍
Such a bittersweet feeling. As a massive Leclerc fan can’t help but feel gutted for him but same time seeing Lewis on a the top step of the podium got me so emotional. Lewis deserves it, he’s been unbelievable since Canada.
Austria next which is one of Charles’ best tracks and hopefully he’s back competing on the front with Ferrari absolutely nailing the upgrades for once
My GOAT 🐐 LH44
One win and they all come out of the woodwork
Great analysis..
it's unfair to call him one of the greatest of all time because sir lewis hamilton’s case for being the greatest comes from not just dominating, but continuing to dominate across changing conditions, strong opposition, and long-term pressure — something no other driver has demonstrated as completely. winning races in his 20s 30s and 40s. unpresidented
No, George was definitely driving the first stint to save his tyres – he said so. He could have widened the gap. He did not expect to be called in early. He was miffed about it. He said that if he knew they would cover off Lewis he would have pushed harder. The pit was completely unexpected for him, so that was really bad communication from the team.
That’s not even close to retribution. Massi was paid to give the race to Verstappen!
100k+ views….nice 😊
Lewis has to win or podium the next race to keep it going
Excellent analysis. As always. Depth, history, understanding of F1 historical significance. Thank you.
Charles seems to get these hydraulic issues more often than anyone on the grid. I wonder if it's due to his driving style or it's just due to being unlucky.
YOU DIDN'T MENTION THAT THERE WERE 3BRITISH DRIVERS ON THE PODIUM!!!
Thanks for the analysis, but a 15 seconds slow intro is a bit much..
As a huge Max fan I was so happy when Lewis won yesterday.
Classic Hamilton masterclass in Spain. Love him or hate him, no driver moves the needle or divides opinion in this sport quite like Lewis. It’s either pure praise or pure criticism, with zero middle ground.
If you're interested in the deeper media and cultural narrative of why he divides the fanbase so intensely, I made a short video essay exploring it on my channel. Incredible to watch the reactions unfold on Sunday!
Mercedes reliability: What is the reason? 2 retirements for the team allow Ferrari to return into title fight.
Loved the win, was like going back in time. Only Mansel could get me as excited as Lewis used to regularly. My 2 all time favourites in F1. Re 2021….
Nothing could ever be retribution for Abu Dhabi 2021. Simply was cheated out of the championship. Both drivers deserved the title, no doubt about that. Maybe you could argue max edged it but hey ho. We all must move on.