BARCELONA — For the first time this season, a non-Mercedes driver won a race — and by a dominant margin.Lewis Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix by 19.561 seconds, marking his first victory as a Ferrari driver. It was an emotional moment for the seven-time world champion, and it was a win that showed why small details matter in the big moments.The win sparked questions about where Ferrari ranks in the competitive order, particularly after Mercedes saw only one driver take the checkered flag.The grand prix was certainly a race of attrition. Only five drivers finished on the lead lap, while seven DNFed, including Kimi Antonelli. George Russell finished second after his Italian teammate suffered “a race ending electrical shutdown” moments after passing Russell for second, the team said.There were a number of questions about Ferrari and Mercedes in the post-race mailbag gatherer, so let’s dive in.Editor’s note: Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.After Ferrari’s dominant performance, is it fair to say that their car is the fastest? — Rafi H.It’s too soon to ask that question, particularly given this is the first non-Mercedes win of the season. It came on race seven out of 22, so there’s a long road ahead.To put Hamilton’s victory into context, and comparing his race to that of Russell’s and Antonelli’s, the seven-time world champion was on an alternative tire strategy and benefitted from a virtual safety car period that allowed him to execute his final (and third) pit stop without losing position. The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix saw more tire degradation than we’ve seen at other races this season, and the conditions were extreme, with it being quite hot.Lewis Hamilton is second in the drivers’ championship. (Mark Thompson / Getty Images)This all doesn’t take away from the statement win Hamilton and Ferrari enjoyed, but this was more a sign Ferrari has taken a step forward with its upgrades. Even Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur cautioned against assuming they’d take the fight to Mercedes more regularly.“Yes, it’s a good step forward, but what is important is that this season the championship will be based on the capacity of the team to develop, not on the picture of Barcelona,” Vasseur said Sunday. “Usually, probably the last 25 years, we are used to saying that the good car in Barcelona will dominate the season, but this season would be much more based on the capacity of all the teams to bring performance to the car.”Ferrari brought eight updated components to the car in Spain, all of which were performance related in some capacity. But given it’s the first year of the new regulations, Vasseur is right. This will be a development game as the teams learn more about their respective packages and the rules set. And then when you throw ADUO (the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) for the engines into the mix, the competition picture could shift.Ferrari’s strengths lie in the medium-speed corners, where it is the fastest. But Ferrari isn’t the fastest car on the straights. Plus, there’s a number of factors to take into account when judging performance, like the circuit characteristics, the engine and chassis design. Ferrari faces a power deficit to Mercedes, which Hamilton pointed out on Sunday post-race.Madeline ColemanGiven how much quicker Kimi Antonelli seems than George Russell, as well as the renewed pace of the Ferrari, how soon is too soon to start making big-picture decisions about swapping positions? — Luco O.In a year that seemed destined to be a straight fight between the two Mercedes drivers for the world championship, Hamilton’s emergence as a potential threat is surely going to test some thinking.McLaren had to navigate such a situation when Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris’s title battle was gatecrashed by Max Verstappen last year. Mercedes will know it cannot let the fight between its own drivers end up opening the door for Hamilton (or anyone else).Prior to the virtual safety car period, we heard on the radio that Mercedes was already conscious the on-track battle between Antonelli and Russell could cost them time and play into Hamilton’s hands. After the race, Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, acknowledged there was a discussion to be had.George Russell and Kimi Antonelli battle for track position in Barcelona. (Clive Mason / Getty Images)“It’s a situation we need to look into for the future, with both drivers, how to handle a situation where there’s a pace differential if we are fighting for a victory, or the risk of losing a victory,” Wolff said. “That’s going to be an interesting discussion. But always totally transparent to the best interest of the team.”Considering we’re not even a third of the way through the season, it’s far too early for Mercedes to make any sweeping decisions, such as backing a single driver for the championship (which, regardless, would likely only be a last resort).That doesn’t mean the team can’t start thinking more about how to deal with such scenarios like we saw in Barcelona, where its own drivers tripping over one another could inadvertently help a rival. It may be case-specific, but without a doubt there’ll be an emphasis on the drivers working to ensure the team result comes above everything else.Luke SmithA lot has been said about Aston’s woes, but what is going on at Williams? Why are they struggling? — Jamie K.Williams entered the season on the back foot. The team missed the first pre-season testing event due to delays in the car’s program, and the car was also overweight, which takes time to undo. Team principal James Vowles previously stated that it wouldn’t be “complicated to bring it down,” but it’s not that simple due to the cost cap.“I already have the engineering steps to not just bring it down but actually be underweight by a good amount,” Vowles said before the Australian GP in March. “If this was a cost-cap-free world, I would execute it tomorrow. It’d be done in a few weeks.“It’s not, so you’ve got to time it with when those components effectively start to go out of life, and when we will be doing upgrades later in the season.”