It was a scorching weekend at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend for round seven of the 2026 Formula 1 season, and the atmosphere was electric at one of F1’s classic circuits. The crowd provided the energy all weekend long, with the action on track matching it courtesy of some epic wheel-to-wheel racing and spot-on strategies, even with a host of shocking retirements.
On the track, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton returned to the top step of the podium in an emotional first victory with Ferrari, whilst Championship leader Kimi Antonelli came to a halt late on. George Russell bounced back for a podium in second, followed closely home by Lando Norris for his second podium of the season. However, those weren’t the only stories from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend – so here are some off-track moments you may have missed…
An all-British podium
It was a classic racing weekend at one of F1’s classic tracks, and it produced a moment for the history books – a first all-British podium since 1968 when Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and John Surtees were on the rostrum at the US Grand Prix. Over 57 years later, Hamilton, Russell and Norris have added their own chapter to the record book.
But the quirks of fate didn’t stop there, as the more eagle-eyed fans may have noticed Hamilton sharing the podium with his two previous teams, Mercedes and McLaren, and providing another wholesome full-circle moment for the 41-year-old.
Hamilton also set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 44, but perhaps most remarkably of all, the Briton achieved his first win with Ferrari almost exactly 30 years on from Michael Schumacher doing the same at this very circuit in 1996. It appears the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has something of a habit of making history for seven-time World Champions… albeit at different points in their careers!
Football frenzy
The FIFA World Cup kicked off this week, and unsurprisingly, the whole Barcelona paddock has been getting into the spirit.
Before the weekend’s action was underway, the French football fanatics Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar took to a local pitch in Barcelona for a friendly game with the Alpine team, reserve driver Paul Aron among those joining in the fun.
It was also a strong start to Media Day on Thursday, as a small goal was positioned just inside the paddock entrance for drivers to show off their footwork – although some were more convincing than others! Perhaps stick to the day job, guys.
And it wasn’t long until football was on the mind yet again as, during the press conference, Liam Lawson gave a shout out to New Zealand defender Tim Payne. Payne has already been making waves at the World Cup before his side has even gotten underway, thanks to a viral YouTube video triggering his follower count to go from 3,000 to over 6 million in just a few days. What are the chances Lawson is among those followers?
After Franco Colapinto headed into race weekend wearing the iconic Argentinian football jersey, Carlos Sainz followed suit on Sunday – but of course with a home race twist. The Spaniard entered the paddock on race day channelling his inner footballer as he donned a personalised version of his national kit.
We predict that there might well be an awful lot of drivers wandering the paddock in their nations’ football kits over the following weeks – win or lose!
VCARB FC
However, we don’t think there’s any team on the grid with more World Cup fever than Racing Bulls – and they have truly been getting into the footballing spirit this week!
Both Lawson and Arvid Lindblad’s nations are represented at this year’s tournament – courtesy of New Zealand and England – and by the looks of the teams’ socials, the pair are looking for a call up.
The whole team has gone above and beyond for the first race weekend of the World Cup – with a fresh new crest for VCARB FC, consisting of the chequered flag and three stars for the three host nations. This crest is a central feature on the VCARB03’s special livery for the weekend, with the design drawing inspiration from football culture – and is entirely on theme on the whole car… everything down to the wheels!
What’s more, the campaign is extending well beyond the racetrack. The team has released football-inspired jerseys and match-day scarves inspired by grassroots football and the creativity of the footballing community around the world – the perfect crossover merch for fans of F1 and football!
Albon’s milestone helmet exchange
Alex Albon marked a monumental milestone over the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend, as he became the driver with the most starts in Williams history, overtaking the legendary Nigel Mansell.
The 30-year-old Thai driver described it as a surreal feeling to have his name alongside a great such as Mansell at this historic team. But ahead of the race weekend, Albon had a special meet-up with the man himself, as Mansell lent him his iconic helmet design to use over the weekend – a wholesome gesture from the 1992 World Champion.
Kimi’s side quests
It might have been a disappointing weekend on track for the Championship leader, but off-track, Antonelli had a great time making mischief.
During what could have been a quiet FP1 session with Mercedes rookie Fred Vesti hopping in the Italian’s seat, Antonelli instead opted for something a little more covert. Wearing a Spider-Man mask, he made his way to the grandstands to watch some of the action, but we wonder if anyone thought it a little suspicious! The camera operator certainly did, spotting the 19-year-old in the crowd – did you notice him too?
Many drivers receive gifts from fans, but Kimi’s came courtesy of some serious star power in Barcelona. After the moment that broke the internet in Monaco – Kim Kardashian unknowingly using Antonelli’s Parc Ferme post-race towel after being caught in champagne spray – the superstar more than made amends this weekend.
After hopping out of the car moments after FP2 ended, Antonelli was surprised with a brand-new towel embroidered with “To Kimi, from Kim”, and tied with a bow, no less. Antonelli was clearly delighted by the sweet gesture, so much so that he was spotted wearing it around his neck in the paddock throughout the afternoon.
Speaking of gifts, Antonelli also received another unexpected keepsake over the weekend – but this time whilst on stage in the Fan Zone when a fan in the crowd threw him a Fuet sausage to try. A delicacy of the local region, it was a thoughtful gift from a fan who was clearly keen to share a taste of Catalunya with him. Whilst he might not be going home with a trophy in his carry-on, an embroidered towel and some local cuisine means he won’t be going home entirely empty handed…
Russell’s Mercedes milestone
After a run of tricky weekends for Russell, it was certainly a positive boost for the Briton to celebrate his 100th start for Mercedes in Barcelona this weekend – and he’s sure come a long way from his first start in a dramatic Sakhir GP. His team was front and centre for the celebrations throughout the whole weekend, but, in true Mercedes style, were eager to play a prank on the 28-year-old during Media Day!
A team member held two gifts behind his back: in his right hand – a chocolate caterpillar cake and in his left – the keys to a brand-new Mercedes AMG car. When asked to pick a side…let’s just say that a chocolate cake always goes down a treat! However, after his bounce back to finish on the podium in second, we reckon that trophy isn’t a bad substitute – or could he even get the new car as a bonus? We think he deserves it, right, Mercedes?
Sporting legends take Barcelona
It was a race weekend where perhaps the presence of other sporting greats stirred something within Hamilton as he was on his way to achieving his long-awaited first Ferrari victory – as some of sport’s greatest ever performers graced the paddock each day.
From two wheels to four, and fresh from his Hungarian GP win last weekend, the nine-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez looked at home as he settled into the cockpit of Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi R26. As Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg talked the Spaniard through the workings of the car, he might just have been one of the only garage guests to have entirely understood their complex explanations.
Another guy who knows a thing or two about speed made his way into the Audi garage over race weekend – Olympic 1500m and 5000m Champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen enjoyed being at a very different kind of track in Barcelona.
As Hamilton crossed the line to claim his first victory for Ferrari at 41 years old, it felt apt that the man to wave the flag and commemorate this monumental achievement was no other than 24-time Grand Slam Champion Novak Djokovic. One of the greatest to ever play tennis seemed absolutely thrilled for the Briton – and both go to show that greatness doesn’t have an expiration date…
