Lewis Hamilton after first GP win with Ferrari: Those written off live longer

After Lewis Hamilton’s first three world championship titles, Sir Jackie Stewart said: “Only time will tell whether Lewis Hamilton is not just a successful driver, but a great one.”

For many fans and experts, Hamilton is no longer just a great racing driver, but the greatest. This is part of the legend-building process – in 2026, Hamilton is like a boxer who was on the ropes a year ago but is now beaming as the winner. Sport simply writes the most beautiful stories.

In 2025, fans and experts had written Lewis Hamilton off as finished. Even world champions such as Nico Rosberg, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve raised the question of whether the most successful of all GP drivers might not be on the wane. At the time, he was regularly outclassed by Charles Leclerc; Hamilton struggled with the 2025 Ferrari.

And now this: a Grand Prix victory in Barcelona, the first win for the Scuderia since Carlos Sainz in Mexico in 2024, Hamilton’s first Grand Prix trophy since Belgium in 2024, and that one fell into his lap back then – because his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who finished first, was disqualified due to underweight cars.

Gritting his teeth and seeing it through is entirely in keeping with Hamilton’s outlook on life. It is no coincidence that ‘Still I rise’ is etched into his very being; growing through adversity suits him, it drives him forward.

For all his maturity, Lewis Hamilton has remained, at heart, the little boy from Stevenage. That twinkle in his eyes when he raves about an experience, that vulnerability when he has to digest a low blow – Hamilton is always himself; fortunately for us, he is a terrible actor.

Formula 1 is supposed to stir emotions, after all. Drivers who drone on in a monotonous voice spouting PR platitudes don’t stir any emotions. Hamilton is adored by some, smiled at or even despised by others. But he leaves no one indifferent.

Among my friends, I often hear comments like: “With someone like Hamilton or Ricciardo, you can at least tell when they’re celebrating a win. Others stand on the podium with a face as if their dog had died at home.”

I’m grateful that Lewis Hamilton doesn’t hide his true feelings, even if he occasionally gets in his own way as a result.

And I give him great credit for how openly he has now spoken about what the criticism in 2025 – bordering on hostility – did to him.

Lewis Hamilton after his victory in Spain: “I’m finding it quite hard to find the right words. It’s very hard for me to believe that I’m finally able to feel this, after endless days of trying and failing, trying again and failing again.”

“So many people doubted me, secretly, but also very publicly – to be honest, that wasn’t easy to take. But persistence pays off; it’s part of my outlook on life never to give up, and deep down I always knew what I was still capable of.”

“It all began in early 2025 with a real sense of elation, but then a lot of doubt and negativity crept in. And that lasted for about a year. During that difficult phase, I was saved by my fans, by my family, by my friends. They stood by me.”

“To be completely honest – during that difficult year of 2025, the thought naturally crossed my mind: ‘Phew, maybe it’s true, maybe I really have lost that final spark.’ I’m only human, after all. I saw headlines about myself, and of course that affects you.”

“That was also the point at which I took a bit of a step back from all the hype. I spent more time with family and friends, with people who know what makes me tick and who have my best interests at heart.”

“Many people may not have noticed this in 2025, but I worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to get Ferrari back on the road to victory. I’m very grateful that I found a willing ear. I said in Maranello – we have to be pioneers again. Then came that additional wing behind the exhaust. And I also championed the swivel wing. I told my team: ‘We have to be leaders again.’ And Ferrari has shown that they’ve still got what it takes.”

Does Hamilton – 41 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli after the Barcelona GP – really have a chance of an eighth title?

The loyal Tifosi can certainly dream of it, because as we all know, those written off live longer.