Lewis Hamilton can "stick the middle finger up" to everyone who doubted him after registering his first Formula One victory for Ferrari, so says Lando Norris. 

Hamilton ended his 40-race wait for a win at Sunday's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where he finished ahead of former team-mate George Russell and Norris.  

The 41-year-old claimed his first win since the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, while it was his 106th victory overall and his seventh at Montmelo, more than any other driver. 

Norris and Russell joined Hamilton on the podium in what was the first time three British drivers finished in the top three since the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix. 

Hamilton said last season that he was "absolutely useless" and that Ferrari should consider swapping him amid a drop in confidence and criticism online, though Norris believes that the seven-time world champion has now silenced those haters. 

"It's pretty cool, pretty special," Norris said of Hamilton's first Ferrari win. "The last few weekends he's certainly seemed to have upped his game.

"It seems like he is making the most of what he's got now, and it's cool to see. I grew up as a fan of Lewis.

"I'm still a fan of his and as a seven-time world champion it's always a pleasure to see those kinds of things.

"With Ferrari, it's even cooler to see that partnership come through and pay dividends as it is now.

"To share the podium with him, and with George, to have three Brits up there for the first time since 1968, was pretty special and cool for us to represent our country that way.

"I'm happy for him, but I hope he's not this fast the whole season because it would be nice if we could battle a bit more! I think you could see how much it meant to him.

"At the same time, he's had a lot of people talk badly about him, and he's got a lot of c*** online from people, so it's nice that he can stick the middle finger up to all of them."

Hamilton's victory saw him close the gap at the top of the Drivers' Championship to 41 points after Kimi Antonelli, the man who replaced him at Mercedes, retired late in the race. 

Antonelli's withdrawal was also of benefit to Russell, who stood on the podium for the first time since finishing second at the Chinese Grand Prix back in March. 

Russell was Hamilton's team-mate at Mercedes for three seasons before his switch to the Scuderia, and the Silver Arrows driver was also in awe of what he had achieved.

"We both sort of grew up as fans of Lewis and, for myself, spending three years together in Mercedes, so much respect," Russell added. 

"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. And 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."

The Austrian Grand Prix is next up on the F1 calendar, a race Hamilton has only won once in his career back in 2016.