Hamilton can “stick middle finger up” at critics after first Ferrari win – Norris | Formula 1

Lando Norris said he was pleased Lewis Hamilton answered his critics with his first win for Ferrari yesterday.

The reigning world champion finished third in yesterday’s race while Hamilton scored his 106th career victory. His breakthrough win at Ferrari came after he failed to finish on the podium in a grand prix throughout his entire first season at Formula 1’s most famous team.

Hamilton has begun 2026 in stronger shape, however, and his breakthrough win follows consecutive second place finishes in the last two rounds.

“It’s pretty special,” said Norris. “The last few weekends he’s certainly seemed to have upped his game.”

Hamilton made his F1 debut in 2007, when Norris was seven years old. “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,” said Norris.

“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.”

However Norris admitted “I hope he’s not this fast the whole season, because it would be nice if we could battle a bit more.

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“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 crap online from a lot of people, so it’s nice that he can stick the middle finger up to all of them.”

George Russell, Hamilton’s team mate from 2022 to 2024, finished between him and Norris on the podium. “We both sort of grew up as fans of Lewis,” said the Mercedes driver.

“For myself, spending three years together in Mercedes, I have 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.

“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, for the first time in 60 years, it’s a special feeling.”

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