Montoya warns Hamilton's rivals after Barcelona win ends his Ferrari drought

Lewis Hamilton ended a victory drought dating back to the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix by winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix for Ferrari, executing a three-stop strategy that reinvigorated his 2026 championship campaign. The 41-year-old now sits 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, speaking on the F1 TV post-race show, was effusive in his praise, calling the victory “unbelievable” and warning the rest of the field that a confident Hamilton is a dangerous one.

“If he can smell that win, we get a different Lewis,” Montoya said. “Watch out for the championship because we’re going to Austria in two weeks. They have a new engine. They have an upgrade coming. So things are coming their way.”

Montoya also reflected on Hamilton’s willingness to turn the lens on himself during a difficult start to his Ferrari tenure, drawing a direct comparison to two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

“You’ve got to look at yourself and see what you need to do better, and you can always find ways to improve,” the Colombian said. “I think it’s the same mentality that Fernando has and the trust that anybody in Aston has in Fernando. They know if they can deliver a car, he’s going to be the guy who can deliver. And what Hamilton did today was amazing. I think Ferrari was solid.”

The Barcelona win followed back-to-back second-place finishes for Hamilton in Canada and Monaco, suggesting the Briton is building momentum at precisely the right moment. Montoya noted that a safety car played a role in shaping the race’s outcome, but maintained Hamilton would likely have prevailed regardless.

“I think Lewis would have won either way without the safety car, but he would have had to pass people, and it would have been a really, really cool race,” he added.

With Ferrari set to introduce a new engine ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s rivals have been put firmly on notice.