How did Hamilton rebuild after a painful stretch?
Hamilton said the road back was slow and anything but gentle. After an injury disrupted his 2025 season, he found himself wondering whether he still had enough to keep pace with younger drivers such as Antonelli. He responded by training harder than ever this season. It showed in Spain, where Hamilton became the oldest Formula 1 winner since 1970 at 41 years and 5 months.But Hamilton made clear that the physical side was only part of the repair job.
“I’ve rebuilt my mind to this point, to get myself back to where I was,” he said Sunday, adding that he focused on the message: “never second-guess yourself, never doubt yourself.”
For Hamilton, that meant stepping away from social media and spending more time with people who knew him before every lap was judged by strangers online.“I’m only human. So, you know, there’s moments where I see the stuff (on social media) and for sure there’s moments where I allowed it to get to me and penetrate deeply,” he said.
“I unplugged from all of that. I spent a lot of time with family and friends — real people who know me, have never doubted me, and have stuck by me my whole life.”Why does the Ferrari environment matter now?
Hamilton has also found visible support around him at the track. Kim Kardashian has been among those backing him, but the more important change for race weekends may be inside the Ferrari garage.
His relationship with new race engineer Carlo Santi has brought a warmer tone over the radio. In a sport where drivers make split-second decisions while listening to someone in their ear, that matters. Last year, Hamilton’s exchanges with Riccardo Adami were often awkward, which did not help.Ferrari took a risk by signing Hamilton in 2024. At that point, his most recent victory was already more than two years old. The team had plenty of second-place finishes in recent years, but it had not won the constructors’ championship since 2008.
Under team principal Fred Vasseur, Ferrari looks more willing to gamble on development instead of settling for being near the front. Hamilton said meetings with senior Ferrari staff last year, centered on planning for 2026, helped shape the current direction.“These guys have really listened and really worked hard to add performance and be innovative. This year is all about innovation,” Hamilton said.
What is the Macarena, and why is Ferrari excited?
One of Ferrari’s most talked-about upgrades is a rear wing nicknamed the “Macarena.” The part can turn upside down to improve straight-line speed, giving Hamilton another tool in a championship fight that could come down to tiny advantages.
Hamilton singled it out after the win as evidence that Ferrari is listening and moving aggressively.
“This is what I was asking for last year. This team has to be the leaders in that, and they’ve shown that they can and they will,” he said.
The upgrade was part of a package Ferrari used effectively in Barcelona. In a development race, that matters almost as much as race-day execution. Cars change across a Formula 1 season, and momentum often belongs to the team that can add performance without creating fresh problems somewhere else.
Ferrari is trying to prove it can do exactly that. The team has been close before, but close does not win trophies.Can reliability swing the championship race?
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reached for one of Formula 1’s oldest truths after Antonelli’s car stopped on track Sunday.
“To finish first, first you have to finish,” Wolff told Sky Sports.
Antonelli’s retirement was Mercedes’ second non-finish in three races, a worrying pattern for a team still leading the championship through its young driver. Hamilton, by contrast, is the only driver to finish in the top 10 at every race this season.
That consistency is a quiet advantage. It may not make headlines like a win, but championships are often built from weekends when a driver collects points instead of explanations.
Ferrari is not immune from trouble, though. Charles Leclerc had to retire from Sunday’s race because of an issue affecting his brakes and steering. Hamilton’s streak is valuable, but the car still needs to keep cooperating.
Why Mercedes still has the advantage
Hamilton has said he has not been focused on the idea of an historic eighth world title. That is sensible public discipline, especially since Antonelli still leads by 41 points.
Even so, the calendar is moving toward a stretch that could help Hamilton. Formula 1 now heads into a series of European tracks he knows well, including his home race in Britain next month. Antonelli struggled at several of those venues last year, which gives Ferrari a chance to apply pressure if its upgraded car remains strong.
Mercedes still has the points lead, but Wolff has suggested that spending limits could restrict how quickly the team responds to Ferrari’s latest development package. That is the less glamorous side of modern Formula 1: not just who has the best idea, but who has the budget room to build it.
Hamilton is not suddenly the title favorite. Antonelli’s lead is real, Mercedes remains dangerous, and Ferrari still has questions to answer. But after Spain, Hamilton has something he did not have for a long time: proof that the climb back was not just emotional recovery. It was competitive recovery too.
