Hamilton's first Ferrari win draws Serena Williams tribute after 106th career victory

Lewis Hamilton ended his wait for a first Ferrari victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday, winning the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix to record the 106th triumph of his career. The seven-time world champion executed a three-stop strategy to take a commanding win in his second season with the Maranello outfit.

The milestone drew an immediate response from across the sporting world. Tennis great Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, posted on her Instagram Story shortly after the chequered flag: “Never forget. I love you bro” — sharing Hamilton’s own post, which carried the caption “REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.” Novak Djokovic, who attended the race and waved the chequered flag himself, offered a single word on social media: “Greatness.”

The win caps a steady climb back to form for Hamilton after a difficult debut season with Ferrari in 2025. He collected his first podium with the team at the Chinese Grand Prix — a third place — before back-to-back second-place finishes in Canada and Monaco set the stage for Sunday’s breakthrough.

In an emotional Instagram post following the race, Hamilton acknowledged the darker periods that preceded this moment. “To all the fans, this win is for you. I could not have made it to this moment without the support from you all. You’ve stuck by me,” he wrote. “There have been dark times, times where the negativity won out and I felt useless and hope felt impossible. You all told me to remember. To remember to fight, to remember to keep going. To remember who I am. This win is just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you, Team LH, thank you, Tifosi. Let’s keep it going.”

Despite the victory, Hamilton faces a significant gap in the championship standings. He sits 41 points behind drivers’ title leader Kimi Antonelli with the season still in progress.