Hamilton's Barcelona win puts Ferrari on collision course with Leclerc, says Villeneuve

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first win for Ferrari at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, executing a three-stop strategy from second on the grid to beat pole-sitter George Russell and Lando Norris, who completed an all-British podium in third. The result moved Hamilton to second in the drivers’ championship, 41 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli.

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes the victory does more than strengthen Hamilton’s title credentials — it also sets up a potential fault line inside Ferrari. “He is [in the title fight] because we can see that things can go wrong, the pace is there, so it doesn’t take much,” Villeneuve said. “And we don’t know how the other two drivers would be under pressure from a Lewis Hamilton. How will they react?”

Villeneuve’s sharpest observation was directed at the dynamic between Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who signed a high-profile contract extension with Ferrari just two races before Barcelona. “Internally at Ferrari, they just re-signed Leclerc two races ago for what, the best contract ever? Lifetime contract,” Villeneuve said. “But who’s actually getting the points? Who’s going to the front? Lewis. So that will create a little bit of issues internally as well.”

Leclerc’s weekend in Barcelona ended in retirement on lap 64 with power steering issues, compounding a difficult run of form that also included a crash at his home race in Monaco and an incident in qualifying at the Circuit de Catalunya. He currently sits fourth in the championship, nine points behind Russell in third.

Hamilton, by contrast, has now won at a circuit where he has historically been strong, and Villeneuve’s comments reflect a broader sense in the paddock that Ferrari’s intra-team balance — carefully managed around Leclerc’s status as the team’s long-term cornerstone — may face its sternest test yet if Hamilton continues to outperform his team-mate.

The championship picture remains tight at the top, with Antonelli holding a 41-point cushion over Hamilton. Formula 1 moves next to Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix on 26-28 June.