The Formula One great remains a long way from a record eighth title but the 41-year-old's first grand prix win in nearly two years, and first since his arrival with much fanfare at Maranello in January 2025, showed he was still in with a shout.
The record books will list it as record-extending career win number 106 but the Briton will rank it among his most significant.
It will be one that proved the doubters wrong, that vindicated his decision to move to Ferrari and could turbocharge the team.
"How do you find the right words to express an emotion that’s beyond your wildest dreams?" Hamilton asked after finally being dragged away from an endless round of television interviews at the Circuit de Catalunya.
"You know, I truly believed in my decision in joining Ferrari. I truly believed in what this team could achieve, what we could achieve together. And I know it started out with lots of excitement and then lots of doubt and lots of negativity that followed through a whole year."
Feared he may never win again
Last year, Hamilton failed to get on the podium, and Ferrari ended the season without a victory. Some critics suggested the Briton was there more for his off-track appeal than anything he might do on it, a great driver entering the twilight of his career who might never win again.
"After a year like last year, there were definitely moments that I was like, 'Sheesh, maybe it is true that, you know, when you get to a certain point, you lose it,” he said.
"But I’ve proven that you don’t.
"You always have it and it just takes work. It takes perseverance, that constant believing in yourself to tap into your inner self and keep yourself alive, keep yourself fit. And I feel great physically."
Hamilton, who had race engineer Carlo Santi on the podium with him, said every win was special, "but this one, this one’s something else.
"I always watched Ferrari have all that success when I was younger, watching it on TV, and as I’ve been racing here, I’d always watch the screens and wonder what it’d be like to win in that car. And it’s come, and everyone worked so hard for it."
The momentum had been building up, with Hamilton third in China in March and then runner-up in Canada and Monaco, but winning was still a big step with his former team, Mercedes, unbeaten in six races before Barcelona.
"There’s so much work that I’ve done, I’m doing in the background but also, again, the team are giving me that confidence with the changes that we’ve made, believing and trusting in the decisions and the things that I’ve asked for," said Hamilton.
"And we’re slowly starting to see this all come together."
The victory, coupled with Mercedes's Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli retiring after five wins in a row, also breathed new life into the championship with Hamilton now 41 points behind the 19-year-old Italian.
"It’s a long, long way to go and they still have great pace, as you can see. But we’re going to keep working, we’re going to keep trying to close that gap. It’s not over, that’s for sure," said Hamilton.