Lewis Hamilton secured a crucial victory in Catalonia, intensifying the multi-team Formula 1 title race as the paddock moves to the rural Austrian circuit.
The British driver claimed the win after starting second on the grid, capitalizing on technical misfortunes of his competitors.
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Kimi Antonelli encountered a minor power issue during qualifying, leaving him slightly behind George Russell, who took pole position by a narrow 0.064 seconds over Hamilton.
In the main race, Antonelli suffered a loss of power while running in second place, allowing Hamilton to claim the maximum 25 championship points.
This outcome reduced the gap to the championship leader to 41 points, altering the dynamics of the driver standings.
George Russell secured second place, bringing home 18 points but facing a renewed threat from his former Mercedes teammate.
Recent seasons have proven difficult for Hamilton following the controversial finish to the 2021 world title race in Abu Dhabi against Max Verstappen.
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His transition to Ferrari for the 2025 season initially brought further struggles, with podium appearances limited to sprint events.
With this Grand Prix victory, Hamilton has returned to the top step of the podium, reopening the championship battle at a critical phase of the calendar.
Despite Hamilton's race victory, practice sessions showed strong single-lap pace for the broader Mercedes team across the weekend.
Antonelli led Russell in the opening practice session, followed closely by Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, while Hamilton finished fifth.
The second practice session saw Antonelli lead ahead of the McLaren duo of Piastri and Lando Norris, with Verstappen fourth, Hamilton fifth, and Russell sixth.
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Russell rebounded to set the fastest time during the final practice session on Saturday, beating Antonelli by 0.038 seconds while Hamilton improved to third.
