F1. Barcelona 2026 Review
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By Gavin Huet, Chelsea Wintle, Aiden McLaughlin and Graeme Woolf
Driver of the Weekend
Gavin: Sir Lewis Hamilton! I was skeptical of his move to Ferrari paying off, and looking at least season I was right. But this year is a different story, he has been knocking on that door and it finally all came together, even a correct strategy call from the team! This is by no means an instant result, behind the scenes Lewis has been working hard to mold the team into what he knows will work long term, the last Ferrari driver to do that successfully was Michael Schumacher. Word of caution, this track suited the Ferrari and other tracks will suit the Mercedes, it’s still a long way to go.
Aiden: You’d be a pretty tough cookie not to have felt some emotion when Lewis Hamilton was on the top step of the podium at the weekend. As painful as it was over the last few years to see him in the pen weekend after weekend, down on himself, happy Hamilton is a joy; and he was so deserving of his success at the weekend. It was vintage stuff from one of the all-time greats.
Graeme: I said last week that I don’t like picking the winner of the race, but here I am doing it again. There really is no other option than Lewis Hamilton. Finally, he got his first win for Ferrari. After all the lows of 2025, fans were wondering if this moment would ever come. Retirement rumours floated around, questions were asked if he was still good enough, did he still have the passion? In Barcelona, Hamilton changed the script and finally got to the top of the podium again, this time in red. It’s hardly a surprise given his recent form either.
Chelsea: If this review isn’t 100% in favour of Lewis Hamilton, we’ll be having some words. Hamilton has really been looking like his old self this season – clearly much more comfortable with the car, and crucially with his race engineer. He seemed at ease all weekend, and already had a decent shot at catching the Mercedes before Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin choked out and caused a safety car. In an uncharacteristic bout of strategic genius, Ferrari chose the perfect moment to pit Hamilton for fresh tyres, allowing him to finish almost 20 seconds ahead of second-placed Russell.
Talking Point
Gavin: Let’s go back to Monaco, because why not. So Pierre Gasly got his podium place handed back because it turns out the FIA had in fact messed up the timings on the pit lane speed. So is it now better to take your penalty in the race, or ignore the penalty and fight it out with the stewards later? What a mess they have just created for themselves.
Aiden: Can Lewis mount a realistic challenge for the title? Boy oh boy, that would be a twist wouldn’t it. Apart from his performance, how refreshing is it to see improved strategy calls and also a better driver/engineer relationship with Carlo Santiago. Mercedes are still strong favourites for the titles this year, but with the Ferrari upgrades and everything else, it’s going to be an intriguing few months.
Graeme: While one Ferrari is going great guns recently, the other… Well not so much. Since signing his new contract, Charles Leclerc can’t buy any luck over recent weeks. In Monaco he crashed in the closing stages of the race, causing a long delay. In qualifying in Barcelona, he crashed again which pushed him down to 10th on the starting grid. And in the race, he had to retire his car. If Ferrari are going to be serious contenders, they need both cars finishing near the front of the field and these reliability issues & driver errors must stop.
Chelsea: The back-and-forthing between the two Mercedes was the highlight for me. George Russell had a great weekend, taking pole position and clearly not suffering any ill emotional effects from five straight defeats. Still, he will be moderately haunted by the fact that Antonelli came back on him twice – halfway through the race, where he defended well, but again after the safety car. The race was almost complete when Antonelli complained bitterly about being held up by his teammate and was ultimately able to overtake Russell – only to trail to a stop with electrical issues. Russell took the points, but will be unnerved.
Gossip Time
Gavin: Fernando Alonso said this was probably his last time racing F1 in Barcelona, bearing in mind that Barcelona and Spa now alternate so we are not due back until 2028. So are we finally seeing the end of the F1 road for Fernando? He will surely go down as one of the more unlucky drivers in terms of not winning as many titles as he should have, but he has shown the rookies how a professional should go about their job. Legend.
Aiden: Oscar Piastri to Red Bull when Max finishes up? It’s hard to see any promotions from Racing Bulls as things stand; Liam is having a great season but his face doesn’t seem to fit with the top team and Arvind Lindblad is pretty green. So how about the Australian? Of course, there’s plenty of denials, but what else would you expect?
Graeme: I haven’t written about Lance Stroll for a while, and neither has anyone else for that matter. That’s because he never does anything. He is wasting a seat in the most prestigious level of motorsport. Lance, if you read this, just go back to Daddys yacht, drink his cognac, smoke his cigars and grow old while sailing the seas. You don’t need this in your life. If Daddy didn’t own the team, you’d have no drive anyway, so grow a pair and make the call yourself, for the sake of the sport. You’re a joke! Actually, at the moment, so are your team.
Chelsea: Nico Hulkenberg had a strange retirement from the race in lap 31 with purported engine issues. Later it was revealed that a stray stone kicked up by Liam Lawson’s RB had hit the Audi’s fire safety switch and caused an instant shutdown of the car. Freakishly bad luck that the screenwriters of F1: The Movie 2 will inevitably take note of. Or should it be F1 2: The Movie? Or a timely Netflix commission for the Heated Rivalry-esque Dirty Air? I’ve said too much.
Looking Ahead
Gavin: Austria is next, the home of Red Bull. And with both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar looking good along with a Red Bull car on the up, this could be interesting. Mercedes should dominate, but Ferrari will have some expectations of competing here, unlike McLaren who look a little lost so far this season.
Aiden: Next up is the Red Bull publicity weekend, AKA the Austrian Grand Prix. It’s the racing equivalent of watching cricket in Queenstown with its picturesque background in the Styrian hills. A short lap, uphill, downhill, with plenty of overtaking options. It should be a cracker.
Graeme: It finally feels like we’re into the season now after that slow start in March / April. We have the Red Bull Ring in Austria up next in 2 weeks where all of a sudden it’s not a given as to who win will each week. There are drivers with plenty to prove, notably George Russell and Charles Leclerc, so watch out for them to come good shortly and outshine their podium topping teammates.
Chelsea: All the talk on our nerdy side of the world has been about Pierre Gasly’s overturned penalty from Canada. In a race dominated by uncharacteristic pit lane infringements, Gasly was the only driver to both refuse to serve his penalty and appeal the matter after. As a result, his penalties were overturned five days after the race and his podium was belatedly reinstated, leaving Isack Hadjar covered in champagne with nothing to show for it. Of course, it’s not over, and both McLaren and Red Bull are now appealing the overturn. The rules are icky here – if you’re given a drive-through penalty, and don’t serve it when you pit, you risk being disqualified from the race. However, if you do serve it, you forfeit the right to appeal. Gasly didn’t need to pit, and was willing to risk disqualification, so it worked out – but there is definitely room for the FIA to tidy the rules up here.
Bonus Picture(s)
Nothing much has changed in 20 years
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