Max Verstappen sends Lewis Hamilton message after 'special moment' victory

Max Verstappen has issued a congratulatory message to Lewis Hamilton after the latter bagged his first win for Ferrari on Sunday.

Hamilton returned to the top step of the podium for the first time in almost two years, ending Mercedes' streak at the start of the campaign.

Mercedes has held a sizeable advantage over the field at the start of the year, but a significant Ferrari upgrade brought it into play in Barcelona.

Hamilton's victory comes after he endured a dismal opening campaign with Ferrari in 2025, when he often struggled for pace.

When asked what he thought of Hamilton's victory, Verstappen told media including RacingNews365: “Well done, congratulations. 

“It's always super special to win, even when you've won already so much. To win with Ferrari for the first time, it's always a special moment.”

For Verstappen, it was a difficult race as Red Bull continued to lack pace to compete at the front of the field.

The Dutchman crossed the line in fourth place as he found himself boosted up the order late on due to sudden retirements for Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli.

Dissecting where Red Bull was missing form, Verstappen added: “For sure a little bit high speed, but that was not even in qualifying the big problem. 

“It's just high energy tracks, high degradation, that's where we seem to lack still.”