F1 icon highlights Hamilton’s Verstappen-like quality after stunning Ferrari showing

Hamilton rolled back the years at the Barcelona Grand Prix, producing a trademark display of race craft as he executed a three-stop strategy to perfection to claim his first victory for Ferrari and the team’s first Grand Prix win since the 2024 season. His performance left F1 veteran Stefan Johansson impressed, with the former McLaren driver suggesting that only drivers of Hamilton’s and Max Verstappen’s calibre possess the ability to turn unlikely opportunities into race-winning moments.

Reflecting on Ferrari’s opening half of the 2026 campaign, Johansson singled out Hamilton’s triumph at Montmeló as a defining moment, describing it as the type of victory that perfectly encapsulates the Briton’s qualities as a champion. The former Formula 1 driver praised Hamilton’s ability to recognise an opportunity before the race had even begun and work with Ferrari to execute the perfect strategy.

“I think the Barcelona race was a classic Lewis Hamilton win. He had a sniff of a win in practice, he knew that he could maybe make it work, he laid the plan out long before the race, and he just executed perfectly, and that’s really what won it,” Johansson said to F1’s official website.

Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona ended Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli’s dominant run of victories that had stretched since the beginning of the 2026 campaign. Ferrari would go on to add another win before the summer break, with Charles Leclerc taking victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone to further underline the team’s resurgence.

Former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger has also expressed his delight at seeing Hamilton and Ferrari return to winning ways after a difficult first season together that fell below expectations.

Berger admitted he has been pleased to see Ferrari fighting at the front again, while also highlighting his happiness for Hamilton after the struggles he endured during his first campaign with the Scuderia. The former Ferrari driver believes the Briton had to overcome both technical challenges and the pressure of competing alongside a highly competitive teammate, but feels the seven-time champion is now beginning to rediscover his best form.