Formula 1, NASCAR, and World Superbike Wrap-ups

Lewis Hamilton finally wins for Ferrari, Denny Hamlin notches third W in a row, and WSBK's Nicola Bulega continues to rewrite the record books.

Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton won Sunday's Barcelona-Catalunaya Grand Prix, his first since joining Ferrari in 2025, and his first F1 victory since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, 685 days ago, when he was in his final season with Mercedes. It was also Ferrari’s first victory since the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix.

2026 championship points leader Kimi Antonelli, who won five Grands Prix in a row this season, retired from second place with a power unit failure just three laps from the finish. His DNF promoted polesitter and Mercedes teammate George Russell to second place, with McLaren driver Lando Norris also benefitting from Antonelli’s retirement to finish third.

Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull Racing ahead of Oscar Piastri, who like his podium-finishing teammate was never a factor in the race. Isack Hadjar had a horrendous start, dropping from sixth on the grid to 14th by the end of lap one, but he recovered to sixth by the checkered flag ahead of Alpine teammates Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the points-paying places for Racing Bulls.

Tire strategy proved to be the decisive factor in Hamilton's long-awaited win, with Ferrari committing the seven-time champ to an aggressive three-stop race plan that ultimately proved successful. While most of the field tried to manage tire degradation with just two stops, the Scuderia recognized that Catalunya's abrasive surface, combined with unusually high temperatures would reward drivers who could consistently run on fresher rubber.

The turning point came on Lap 41 when Fernando Alonso's stranded car triggered a Virtual Safety Car period. Hamilton was able to pit under the vastly reduced-speed conditions, allowing him to retain his lead ahead of Russell while emerging on fresh rubber for the run to the finish.

Gabriel Bortoleto, Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez were the last of the finishers, while Charles Leclerc was classified 15th after retiring four laps from the finish with a power steering failure. Oliver Bearman, Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll all retired before race's end, making this GP tied with Monaco as the season's with the highest rate of attrition.

Results

Next: Formula 1 Lenovo Austrian Grand Prix, June 26-28

NASCAR

Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing captured a record eighth NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono Raceway, taking the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA after a tense, late race fuel-mileage battle. His No. 11 Toyota held off the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota of Tyler Reddick by 1.678 seconds, marking Hamlin’s third consecutive victory following wins at Nashville and Michigan.

The triumph gives the 45-year-old veteran 64 career Cup wins, moving him into ninth on the all-time list and ahead of the late Kyle Busch.

The win also tightened the championship picture. With just 10 races remaining before the 16-driver playoff field is set, Reddick’s once-quite-comfortable points lead over Hamlin has shrunk to just 19 points. The two are now separated by the closest margin atop the standings this season, adding pressure to both as the regular season winds down.

Notably, Hamlin is also co-owner of Reddick’s team alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Hamlin’s Gibbs teammate Christopher Bell was in contention late after gambling on fuel strategy but was overtaken by Hamlin with four laps remaining and then ran out of fuel just before the white flag, finishing 26th. Bell was competing while recovering from a broken left wrist suffered in a crash at Michigan.

Chevy driver William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports finished third, while John Hunter Nemechek delivered a breakout performance in fourth after leading a race-high 42 laps for Legacy Motor Club — more than he had led in either of the previous two seasons combined. Kyle Larson finished fifth after early dominance, followed by Erik Jones, Chris Buescher (highest-placing Ford), Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top ten.

Hamlin won Stage 1, while Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland earned his first career stage win in Stage 2. With playoff positions tightening, drivers around the cutline — including road course specialist Shane van Gisbergen (heavily favored to win in San Diego this weekend), Brad Keselowski (on a 70-race winless streak), and Joey Logano (winless since May 2025) — remain in a tightly packed battle for the final spots.

Results

Next: Aunduril 250, Coronado island, June 20-21

WSBK

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing Ducati) delivered yet another completely dominant performance at Misano, claiming his first WorldSBK victory at the circuit in Race 1 and extending his remarkable winning streak to 23 races. After losing the lead to Iker Lecuona at the start, Bulega quickly fought back and retook first place on the opening lap. From there, he steadily pulled away, crossing the finish line nearly six seconds clear of his teammate.

The victory marked Bulega’s 75th career WorldSBK podium, tying Marco Melandri and Colin Edwards on the all-time list. Lecuona continued his consistency with a record-extending 16th consecutive runner-up finish.

Ducati rider Yari Montella completed the podium in third, while the Bimota Kawasaki team enjoyed a strong home-round result with Axel Bassani finishing fourth ahead of teammate Alex Lowes in fifth. Alberto Surra continued his impressive form in sixth, while Andrea Locatelli Yamaha), Miguel Oliveira (BMW), Alvaro Bautista, and Stefano Manzi rounded out the top ten.

Tarran Mackenzie recovered from a long lap penalty to finish 11th. Five riders failed to reach the checkered flag, including Lorenzo Baldassarri, Sam Lowes, Remy Gardner, Ryan Vickers, and Michael van der Mark, whose late retirement promoted Somkiat Chantra (Honda) into the points.

Results

In Race 2 at Misano, Nicola Bulega delivered again in front of his home fans. The Italian swept all three races at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round, earning his seventh hat trick of the season and becoming the first rider in WorldSBK history to achieve seven race-weekend triples in a single campaign.

Iker Lecuona briefly led off the start but then settled into second, exactly where he finished for the 18th straight race, an all-time WorldSBK record. Behind the two Ducati's, Axel Bassani (Bimoto Kawasaki) and Alex Lowes ran strongly in the top four as Bimota enjoyed a competitive home outing in front of their factory base. Bassani was on course for a podium finish at Misano until a late crash at Turn 8 ended his challenge, which opened the door for Yari Montella (Ducati), who capitalized to claim third. It was Montella’s second triple-podium weekend of the season, replicating his strong performance at Most earlier in the year.

Alex Lowes inherited fourth, with Tarran Mackenzie delivering a breakthrough dry-weather result in fifth, with Alberto sixth. Andrea Locatelli led the Yamaha charge in seventh, narrowly ahead of Remy Gardner in eighth. BMW rider Michael van der Mark finished ninth after a close battle with Sam Lowes, who came home 10th by just 0.037s.

The Misano sweep increased Bulega’s season victory total to 21 and added to an already remarkable list of accomplishments in 2026. This year, he has rewritten the WorldSBK record books with the longest winning streak, the longest podium streak, and now the most hat tricks in a single season. During the weekend, he also surpassed Marco Melandri to become the Italian rider with the most WorldSBK podium finishes.

Results

Next: Donington Park, July 10-12