Lewis Hamilton has not only made fans across the world delighted with his first win for Ferrari, but his compatriots Lando Norris and George Russell are also in awe of the seven-time champion.
The trio stood on the podium together at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, with Mercedes’ Russell in second, and McLaren’s Norris third -- marking the first time since 1968 that it was an all British podium.
Hamilton, 41, joined Ferrari at the start of 2025 and has been open about his struggles with the Italian outfit, but a dominant victory in Spain put a smile on everyone’s faces, whether a Hamilton fan or not.
Reigning world champion Norris has backed Hamilton’s corner, saying “it’s nice that he can stick the middle finger up” to all the people who doubted his future and spoke badly about him.
Hamilton has had a good run of performances after finishing second at the Canadian Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix, and joked that title leader Kimi Antonelli was “catching up” to his 106 career win tally.
He’s also just 41 points away from the 19-year-old Italian in the drivers’ championship.
Hamilton is at least 15 years older than both Norris and Russell, and both have been open about being fans of him when they were younger.
“I think pretty cool. It’s pretty special. It’s nice,” Norris said. “You know, the last few weekends he’s certainly seemed to have upped his game and as much as it, yeah, was something we once could kind of take advantage of and try and make the most of, it seems like he’s making the most of what he’s got now, and that’s cool to see.
“I grew up as a fan of Lewis and I don’t know if I would still say I’m like that kind of fan, but I’m still a fan of him. And as a seven-time world champion, it’s always a pleasure to see those kinds of things. And with Ferrari again, it’s even cooler to kind of see that partnership come through and kind of pay dividends, as it is doing now.
“So, yeah, special. And also, to share the podium with him and then with George, to have three Brits up there, I think the first time since 1968, I think someone said. Pretty special, pretty cool for us to represent our country that way.
“And, yeah, I’m happy for him. I hope he’s not this fast the whole season, because it would be nice if we could battle a bit more, but good for him. I think you could see how much it meant to him. At the same time, he’s obviously had a lot of people talk badly about him and he’s got a lot of c--p online from a lot of people, so it’s nice that he can stick the middle finger up to all of them.”
Russell, who was Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes from 2022-2024, has always spoken very highly of him and has seen him as an inspiration.
“Yeah, I mean he said it pretty well,” Russell said. “We both sort of grew up as fans of Lewis and, you know, for myself, spending three years together in Mercedes, so much respect.
“It was a big, bold move to join Ferrari, and to see it now paying off for him is very special to see given the magnitude of the decision. And, yeah, he’s going to be a real threat. So, as Lando said, hopefully it doesn’t continue for too long, but to be standing up here, three Brits, first time in 60 years, it’s a special feeling.”
