
Hamilton's tyre strategy call — starting on softs while most frontrunners went another route — was the decisive factor here, not just pace. That he and Ferrari read the Barcelona degradation correctly when even pole-sitter Russell did not tells you something about how the team is operating around him. Winning your first race for Ferrari, one of the most storied seats in the sport, carries a weight that goes beyond a points tally, and Hamilton clearly felt it. For a driver who has won everything else, this one evidently meant something different.
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