You helped me achieve this dream

Lewis Hamilton thanked Ferrari for helping him “achieve a dream” after taking his maiden grand prix win as a member of the Scuderia.

Hamilton and Ferrari went on the offensive in F1’s tyre battle on a sweltering Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Unlike most other frontrunners, including poleman George Russell, Hamilton opted for a start of softs, with the excessive tyre degradation all but nailing him to a three-stop strategy.

That allowed the seven-time world champion to fully flex his upgraded SF-26’s muscles, putting pressure on Russell and the second Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli as they were nursing their hard tyres, with Russell in particular struggling for pace with a lack of front load.

Hamilton received an additional bit of assistance from old nemesis Fernando Alonso as the Spaniard parked his Aston Martin on lap 40, allowing the Briton to take his first and final stop under virtual safety car conditions.

But the Ferrari’s blistering pace in the final stint suggested either Mercedes would have struggled to contain the 41-year-old on his quest for a first Ferrari grand prix win in 31 attempts.

On the cooldown lap, an emotional Hamilton thanked his team for helping him “achieve this dream” of winning in red.

“Grazie a tutti Maranello, thank you so much,” Hamilton said. “You helped me achieve this dream and I can’t thank you enough. Thank you to everyone for pushing so hard back at home. I’m so proud of you.

“Thank you to my family and thank you to the fans for continuing to remind me who I am, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Afterwards, Hamilton said his 106th grand prix win was one of his very best. “They’re all special in their own way but this one is something else,” he said in parc ferme.

“I watched Ferrari have all their success on TV when I was younger and wondered what it would be like to win in this car. I’m forever grateful and this is hopefully the first of many.”

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– The Autosport.com Team