Norris and Russell can't hide delight for Hamilton after first Ferrari win in Barcelona

Russell and Mercedes were caught out by Ferrari's decision to put Hamilton onto an aggressive three-stop strategy in Catalunya, with their former driver able to set lightning quick lap times on his middle stint and stay ahead of Russell and Kimi Antonelli after a fortunately-timed Virtual Safety Car.

Similarly to Russell, McLaren's Norris has bounced back from a tricky spell to secure the final podium spot in Barcelona, albeit with a little help from Antonelli's eventual DNF due to battery failure. McLaren had come in to the weekend hopeful of challenging the championship leaders Mercedes, but clearly lacked pace to the frontrunners as the race weekend went on.

They may not have had the perfect weekends, but both Norris and Russell were nonetheless pleased for Hamilton, making history to complete the first all-British podium since Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and John Surtees at the 1968 United States Grand Prix.

Speaking to media, including GPblog, Norris said in the post-race press conference that Hamilton's maiden Ferrari victory was "pretty special," admitting that while they compete for F1 wins and titles, he remains a fan of the former Mercedes and McLaren driver.

Norris said: "It’s pretty special. It’s nice. You know, the last few weekends he’s certainly seemed to have upped his game and as much as it, yeah, was something we once could kind of take advantage of and try and make the most of, it seems like he’s making the most of what he’s got now, and that’s cool to see.

Norris also reflected on the British trio making history in Barcelona, before joking that Hamilton's victory means he can now "stick the middle finger" to those doubting him after a tough 2025 debut season.

Russell echoed Norris' thoughts, adding that he too sees his former teammate as real threat in the 2026 title race. He said: "Yeah, I mean he said it pretty well. We both sort of grew up as fans of Lewis and, you know, for myself, spending three years together in Mercedes, so much respect.