Hamilton extends untouchable F1 longevity record with Barcelona masterclass
Photo: Race Pictures
Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Lewis Hamilton stands in a league of his own when it comes to the Formula 1 record for the longest gap between a driver’s first victory and their most recent win.
The seven-time world champion exploded onto the scene in 2007 and took his first win in just his sixth race at the Canadian Grand Prix. He would go on to win three more races that season and narrowly missed out on the championship by one point to Kimi Raikkonen.
Raikkonen himself was previously the benchmark for this rare measure of endurance, with a 15-year span between his first win at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix and his final victory at the 2018 United States Grand Prix. Hamilton went on to beat that record and with his most recent victory at the Barcelona Grand Prix has shattered that mark.
Starting from second on the grid for Ferrari, the 41-year-old produced a strategic masterclass, capitalising on a Virtual Safety Car with a bold three-stop plan to seize the lead and storm to victory by 19.6 seconds. It marked his first win in Ferrari red, his 106th career triumph, and delivered the first all-British podium since 1968, with Mercedes’ George Russell second and McLaren’s Lando Norris third.
Hamilton has become the oldest race winner since Jack Brabham in 1970 and his record of the longest gap between race victories looks like it will be unmatched for some time to come.
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Top 10 drivers with longest gap between first and last race wins
| 1. Lewis Hamilton | 19 years, 0 months and 4 days | Canada 2007 - Barcelona 2026 |
| 2. Kimi Raikkonen | 15 years, 6 months and 28 days | Malaysia 2003 - USA 2018 |
| 3. Michael Schumacher | 14 years, 1 month and 1 day | Belgium 1992 - China 2006 |
| 4. Alain Prost | 12 years, 0 months and 20 days | France 1981 - Germany 1993 |
| 5. Niki Lauda | 11 years, 3 months and 28 days | Spain 1974 - Netherlands 1985 |
| 6. Nelson Piquet | 11 years, 2 months and 3 days | USA West 1980 - Canada 1991 |
| 7. Sebastian Vettel | 11 years, 0 months and 8 days | Italy 2008 - Singapore 2019 |
| 8. Jack Brabham | 10 years, 9 months and 25 days | Monaco 1959 - South Africa 1970 |
| 9. Gerhard Berger | 10 years, 9 months and 15 days | Mexico 1986 - Germany 1997 |
| 10. Riccardo Patrese | 10 years, 5 months and 2 days | Monaco 1982 - Canada 1982 |
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