Formula 1: Hamilton Dominates, Hadjar's Surprise Performance

Lewis Hamilton marked the F1 Barcelona Grand Prix with his unique impression. After being close to the pole position, the Ferrari driver set a fast pace in the race to win with relative ease. This fact was confirmed by the in-race time ranking, which shows the seven-time world champion's superiority.

Victory and best race lap, this is the flattering assessment of Lewis Hamilton, last Sunday, at the end of the Catalan course. Apart from the Briton's performance, the Ferrari's progress impressed. To the point of relaunching the title fight since, now, Mercedes is no longer at the top of the hierarchy alone.

Nevertheless, it was almost not enough for LH44 to be deprived of this record lap time. And it's neither a Mercedes nor a McLaren that shines in this hierarchy. Isack Hadjar, in second place, and Max Verstappen, in third place, demonstrated unexpected speed, that is, with the Red Bull Racing Ford. Should we see this as a tightening of the hierarchy or a exception linked to the Barcelona circuit?

Whatever it is, the French Ferrari driver was very close to signing an exploit, with a lap time of 1:20.150, ahead of his prestigious Dutch teammate. To be compared to the 1:20.122 time achieved by Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) completed the top five. Half a second away from the best time. A worrying situation? We will have to wait until the Austrian Grand Prix to find out.

However, it is now apparent that the German team is threatened by the entire top teams, on a lap but also, on a race pace. This adds suspense to a 2026 season that seemed to be plump, at the expense of Mercedes, a few days ago. The more the reliability of the flax is revealed more and more perfectible. The Kimi Antonelli's retirement had already testified well.

Thus, the Red Bull Ring test, at home, at Red Bull Racing, should confirm the observations made after the Spanish course.

A strong recovery and reason to be optimistic for Austria. #F1 || #BarcelonaGP #Formula1 #F1News #IsackHadjar #LewisHamilton

Some words, in conclusion, on the French Alpine team. While this team has perfectly reacted after qualifying, to come back into points with its two cars, this in-race time ranking confirms the difficulties encountered by the A526. This is to say, there is still a lot of work to be done at Enstone, the team's headquarters. Pierre Gasly, 13th in this ranking, pointed out that there was still a 1.8-second gap to the reference lap time established last Sunday. A chasm that seems to confirm the Team's decline after the Spanish Grand Prix.