Stefano Domenicali saw Max Verstappen show how much he ‘respects’ Lewis Hamilton after Barcelona GP

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Stefano Domenicali has joined Max Verstappen in congratulating Lewis Hamilton after the Ferrari driver took his first win in red.

Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday, his 31st race for Ferrari, to end a victory drought that had lasted nearly two years. It was a historic moment for the sport as the most successful driver took the chequered flag for the most iconic team.

It was an emotional one for Hamilton, who visibly teared up on the podium as his Ferrari colleagues sang the Italian national anthem, which was played for the first time since Mexico 2024.

Your podium for the 2026 Barcelona GP 🇪🇸 But where does Lewis Hamilton finish without the VSC?

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Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s rivals respect his ‘legacy’ in the sport

Speaking to DAZN after the race, F1 president and former Ferrari team principal Domenicali said the victory was a testament to Hamilton’s ‘resilience’.

“It’s truly fantastic,” he said. “It’s a message to everyone that you shouldn’t give up.

“Resilience is a unique characteristic that is very important in this world. I’m very happy for Lewis Hamilton, for Ferrari, and for F1.”

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Verstappen, who fought Hamilton for the 2021 title in one of the most intense rivalries the sport has ever seen, commended the 41-year-old in parc ferme, along with a number of drivers.

“It’s a sign of respect when you have that legacy in the sport,” Domenicali said of that gesture.

“You show that you’re there fighting in difficult times when people were telling you to go home. To be there fighting and winning is incredible. Very happy.”

In his own interviews, Verstappen called Hamilton’s win a ‘beautiful moment’. The previous animosity between the two drivers has clearly cooled, giving way to mutual recognition.

That much was evident after the Canadian GP last month, where Hamilton and Verstappen exchanged compliments after an entertaining, extended battle for second place.