Penalties, collisions, and an early retirement: the Brazil Grand Prix turned into a nightmare for Lewis Hamilton, who vented his fury over the radio after receiving a controversial penalty. The seven-time world champion was visibly frustrated after a disastrous race weekend, which ended with his Ferrari SF-25 becoming almost impossible to drive.
Hamilton’s frustrations reached boiling point when he was informed of his penalty for contact with Franco Colapinto. The British driver immediately lashed out on team radio, saying: “These guys are a joke. A complete joke. The car moved on me, I just touched the wing,” he told his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, moments after hearing the decision.
His sharp words were aimed directly at the FIA stewards, with whom Lewis Hamilton has had several tense exchanges in recent races. After expressing dissatisfaction over what he called “inconsistent” stewarding decisions in Mexico, the seven-time world champion reignited the debate, openly showing his frustration with what he perceives as questionable race management.
Hamilton’s difficult race
The race had already started badly for Lewis Hamilton, who made contact with Carlos Sainz in Turn 1, damaging the front end of his Ferrari SF-25. Later, a further collision with Franco Colapinto on the straight destroyed part of the car’s floor, making recovery impossible.
Lewis Hamilton tried to continue after a pit stop under the Safety Car, but with no pace and an unstable car, Ferrari had no choice but to retire him from the race. Adding to the disappointment, the stewards handed him a five-second time penalty just before the team decided to withdraw the car—an announcement that triggered his furious radio message.
His weekend had started on the wrong foot from Friday, when he was eliminated in SQ2 during Sprint qualifying. He later finished only seventh in the Sprint race, and his Saturday qualifying session brought no improvement. Tire temperature issues once again prevented him from advancing past Q2, leaving him far down the starting grid.
During the race, Lewis Hamilton repeatedly complained about the balance of the car after the early contact, saying: “I’ll probably end up in the barriers. The rear is completely gone.” His struggles highlighted the ongoing setup issues Ferrari has faced at high-downforce tracks like Interlagos.
Ferrari’s race went from bad to worse as Charles Leclerc was also forced to retire following the chaotic restart incident involving Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli. The double DNF leaves the Maranello team frustrated and Hamilton angrier than ever, after a weekend to forget in Brazil.
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