Lewis Hamilton makes Ferrari dream an F1 reality

Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula One race and a drivers’ championship with McLaren before moving to Mercedes and becoming the sport’s most dominant driver for more than a decade. When Hamilton joined Ferrari two seasons ago, many expected him to add another championship to his résumé. Immediate success proved elusive, with a bewildered Hamilton […] The post Lewis Hamilton makes Ferrari dream an F1 reality appeared first on St. Louis American.

Jun 19, 2026 - 20:38

Lewis Hamilton makes Ferrari dream an F1 reality

Lewis Hamilton won his first Formula One race and a drivers’ championship with McLaren before moving to Mercedes and becoming the sport’s most dominant driver for more than a decade.

When Hamilton joined Ferrari two seasons ago, many expected him to add another championship to his résumé. Immediate success proved elusive, with a bewildered Hamilton questioning his form and wondering aloud whether he was still a championship-caliber driver during last season’s disappointing campaign.

But the F1 superstar bounced back in 2026.

Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix by more than 19 seconds using a brilliant three-stop strategy — and a bit of good fortune.

A late virtual safety car following Kimi Antonelli’s retirement with 24 laps remaining allowed Ferrari to bring Hamilton in for fresh tires, helping propel him to victory over former Mercedes teammate George Russell.

“I started out with a dream last year, which seemed almost impossible during my time last year. But we never gave up hope. The team just continued to lift me up,” Hamilton told Sky Sports after the race.

Hamilton’s previous victory came nearly two years ago when the British driver won the Belgian Grand Prix in July 2024.

While Hamilton struggled mightily last season, Ferrari often failed to provide a competitive car. The team went back to the proverbial drawing board to design and build a machine capable of competing under Formula One’s new technical specifications.

“We made so many changes and so many improvements. On top of that, I’ve got the greatest fan base an athlete could ever ask for. Thank you. Thank you to everybody,” Hamilton said.

Count me among that fan base for nearly 15 years.

F1’s move from ESPN and ABC to Apple TV has caused me to miss more races than I’d like. Fortunately, Samsung TV re-airs races, allowing me to catch Hamilton’s victory at 2 a.m. Monday.

Hamilton said his dream of driving for Ferrari began when he watched races as a child and imagined competing in the iconic red cars of the Italian manufacturer.

“I watched Ferrari have all that success when I was younger, watching it on TV, and as I’ve been racing here, I’d always watch the screens and wonder what it would be like to win in that car, and it’s come,” he said.

The victory raised Hamilton’s Formula One record to 106 career wins, but he noted this one was different.

“They’re all special in their own way but this one’s something else,” he said.

“I guess I’m just happy in my life, so I’m in a good place. I love doing what I do — there’s no greater feeling than racing a Formula One car.”

Hamilton acknowledged that Mercedes remains the team to beat in the Constructors’ Championship. He trails Antonelli 156-115 in the drivers’ standings, with Russell third at 106 points.

“We’re going to keep working, we’re going to keep trying to close that gap. It’s not over, that’s for sure,” said the victorious Hamilton.

The Reid Roundup

Jalen Brunson scored 45 points to lead yet another New York Knicks double-digit comeback over the San Antonio Spurs and win the NBA Finals title last Friday. He is a very deserving Finals MVP, but…All this talk of Brunson being the Knicks all-time greatest player is ridiculous. Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, and the late Willis Reed were on both the 1970 and 1973 world championship teams, with Frazier still serving as the team’s TV analyst. This is a classic example of ‘recency bias.’…Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs could win the next three titles and not live down blowing a 29-point second half lead in Game Four of the NBA titles…I’d rather party with Seth Jarvis and K’Andre Miller this week than any of the Knicks. The players helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Las Vegas.

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