F1 news: Lewis Hamilton refuses to rule out title challenge after emotional first Ferrari victory

Lewis Hamilton says he is not giving up on the possibility of winning an eighth Formula 1 world championship this season after claiming his long-awaited first race victory with Ferrari at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion delivered a dominant performance in Spain to secure his first win since July 2024 and finally end Ferrari's wait for a victory with the British driver.

Following the victory, Hamilton admitted that thoughts of a title challenge had crossed his mind, although he remains cautious about getting carried away.

The 41-year-old said that "nothing is impossible" and insisted he would continue taking things one race at a time.

Ferrari's recent improvements have helped close the gap to Mercedes, while Hamilton's form has steadily improved over the opening rounds of the campaign.

Difficult road to success

Hamilton's victory was particularly emotional given the challenges he faced during his first season with Ferrari.

After arriving at Ferrari with huge expectations, Hamilton endured a winless first year and was often questioned by critics.

Emotional after his first victory in red, the British driver revealed that he experienced moments of self-doubt over the past 12 months as he struggled to adapt to a new team and environment.

"I came from really quite a low place to get back here, and I think it's just really about never giving up, never second-guessing yourself, never giving up on yourself and just keep on trying," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

"I think for the people that say the negative stuff, I often use that as fuel. I think it's easy to be negative about people. I think it is worse when it's a driver that knows how hard it is in this field to do a job and they don't even have the success that I have and they talk negatively.

"It was really the fans that rescued me. Last year, several of the fans were shouting to me 'don't forget who you are' and that really resonated with me.

"I had to question 'how do I find myself again and how do I find my centre? How do I find the courage and the strength to keep going, to keep building, to keep trying?

"I'm only human. There's moments where I see the stuff and for sure there's moments where I allowed it to get to me and penetrate deeply. But, then I went through a sequence of unplugging from that matrix," he said.

"I spent lots of time with family, lots of time with friends, real people that know me, that have never doubted me, have stuck to and by me my whole life.”

He also dealt with an injury during the 2025 season, making the transition even more difficult.

"Then I just went on the mission from Christmas Day. The training that I put in was harder than I've ever experienced, to keep myself in good shape, because I think at the beginning of last year I got injured here [in Barcelona], actually, and carried that for months.

"I know [the thing] is to never second-guess yourself, never doubt yourself. You've got to continue to believe in yourself at the core. Those are the things that I've managed to reimplement into my mentality.

"I've rebuilt my mind to this point, to get myself back to where I was. And it's a great feeling to stand on that podium."

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Ferrari resurgence boosts hopes

Hamilton's win came thanks to a combination of strong pace, smart strategy and Ferrari's recent upgrades.

The team executed a flawless three-stop race plan and took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car period to maintain control of the race.

The result has sparked fresh optimism that Ferrari can challenge Mercedes more consistently over the remainder of the season.

While Hamilton (115 points) remains some distance behind championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli (156 points), the victory has reignited belief that he could yet become a serious contender if Ferrari's progress continues.

Speaking on the possibility of a title win, the seven-time world champion said, "I think it's just the beginning. Mercedes have got an amazing package and they're so strong. Both drivers are doing such an incredible job.

"It's going to take absolutely everything from all of us in this team to overcome the deficit and to get to being ahead of them and doing this consistently.

"But nothing is impossible, so just one step at a time."

Even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has acknowledged that the title battle remains wide open, with Hamilton a threat, should he stay consistent.

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