Rosberg hails Hamilton's Barcelona win as 'historic' and warns rivals momentum will carry him higher

Lewis Hamilton cut Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead to 41 points after winning the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, with former rival Nico Rosberg declaring the result a landmark moment in the seven-time champion’s career. Antonelli was forced to retire with car issues, while George Russell finished third in the standings, nine points behind Hamilton.

Rosberg, who raced alongside Hamilton at Mercedes from 2013 to 2016 before claiming the 2016 title, offered a warm and candid assessment of his old team-mate’s resurgence. “I can honestly enjoy it with him,” he said. “I really felt for the struggles he went through as he started his time with Ferrari. It was horrible to watch. And now he’s just thriving so well and flying, and confident, and enjoying it, and that’s just awesome. This win is historic. It’s spectacular. So, a great day for him, for the sport.”

Hamilton’s win in Spain followed back-to-back second-place finishes in Canada and Monaco, and a third-place finish in China — a run of form that has transformed his 2026 campaign after a difficult first season adapting to life at Ferrari following his high-profile departure from Mercedes in 2025.

Rosberg identified that consistency as the foundation of a potentially self-reinforcing cycle. “He’s also entering into this positive flywheel,” the former champion explained. “You get positive results, you get more motivated, you get happier, you work harder. So this is going to propel him even higher, together with his team. So it’s an incredible momentum at the moment over there.”

Hamilton currently sits second in the drivers’ championship, 41 points adrift of Antonelli with the Austrian Grand Prix — the eighth round of the season — scheduled for 26-28 June.