Lewis Hamilton produced an impressive response to being lapped by race leader Lando Norris at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix, setting the fastest lap of the race and overtaking the McLaren driver to unlap himself on lap 44. The Ferrari driver also passed Franco Colapinto during his recovery, climbing to 12th position after an earlier pit stop had dropped him down the order.
The sequence marked a striking change in Hamilton’s afternoon at Interlagos. Just five laps earlier, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion had been running ninth before stopping for another set of soft tyres. He returned to the track in 14th position and had been lapped by Norris, but his subsequent pace allowed him to recover that lap and resume his pursuit of the cars ahead.
Lewis Hamilton sets fastest lap and overtakes Lando Norris to unlap himself
Hamilton’s most notable moment came on lap 44 of the scheduled 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix, when he recorded a new fastest lap of the race and overtook Norris, who was leading for McLaren.
The manoeuvre was particularly interesting because Hamilton was not fighting Norris for a position in the classification. Instead, the Ferrari driver was attempting to recover the lap he had lost earlier, allowing him to return to the same lap as the race leader.
By successfully passing Norris on track, Hamilton achieved precisely that objective. His fastest lap also demonstrated that he was capable of producing a competitive single-lap performance at that stage of the race.
Nevertheless, the combination of a fastest lap and an on-track pass against the race leader provided an encouraging development after an otherwise complicated afternoon for Ferrari.
Ferrari pits Lewis Hamilton from ninth for fresh soft tyres
The sequence began on lap 39, when Hamilton entered the pits from ninth position for a new set of soft slick tyres.
Before stopping, the British driver had been approaching the back of Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi. Ferrari’s decision to bring him into the pits changed his immediate track position, with Hamilton rejoining in 14th and finding himself in clear air.
That gave him an opportunity to run without another competitor immediately ahead, although the pit stop also left him significantly further down the classification.
Another complication was that Norris had already lapped Hamilton, leaving the Ferrari driver one lap behind the race leader.
The situation highlighted the contrast between Hamilton’s running position before the stop and his circumstances immediately afterwards. He had been ninth and closing on Hülkenberg, but the tyre change left him 14th and needing to recover lost ground.
The fresh soft tyres subsequently coincided with an improvement in Hamilton’s fortunes, culminating in his fastest lap and successful move past Norris five laps later.
Lewis Hamilton overtakes Franco Colapinto as Brazilian GP recovery continues
Hamilton’s progress on lap 44 was not limited to passing the race leader to recover his lost lap.
The Ferrari driver also overtook Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, moving up to 12th position as he continued working his way back through the field.
That improvement was significant considering where Hamilton had been immediately after his lap-39 pit stop. He had rejoined 14th, but within five laps had gained two positions and recovered his lap against Norris.
Importantly, overtaking Norris to unlap himself did not represent an additional position gained in the classification. Hamilton’s progress to 12th was a separate development, while the pass on the McLaren allowed him to recover from being a lap down.
The two events nevertheless demonstrated that Hamilton’s race was far from settled despite the earlier setback.
What Hamilton’s fastest lap means for Ferrari’s Brazilian GP
Hamilton’s latest recovery added another chapter to an eventful Brazilian Grand Prix that had already featured substantial position changes and a difficult strategic challenge. Starting 20th, he had initially made rapid progress through the field before encountering several setbacks. Earlier in the race, Ferrari had also switched him to soft slick tyres on lap 15 as the Interlagos circuit dried.
By lap 39, Hamilton had recovered sufficiently to run ninth, only for another pit stop to drop him to 14th and leave him a lap behind Norris.
His response over the following five laps was therefore particularly encouraging. Setting the fastest lap, unlapping himself against the race leader and passing Colapinto to reach 12th showed that he remained capable of making further progress.
However, Ferrari still faced a difficult task. Hamilton remained outside the points with 27 laps left after the completion of lap 44, and his immediate performance did not guarantee that he would return to the top ten.
The key question was whether the Briton could continue turning his pace into further position gains. Although the final outcome remained uncertain, his lap-44 performance provided a notable response to the difficulties he had experienced earlier in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
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