Ferrari has identified the technical problem behind Lewis Hamilton’s retirement from the Madrid Grand Prix, with a hydraulic issue in the SF-26’s brake-by-wire system caused by a secondary component. The failure forced the seven-time Formula 1 world champion out of the race and produced his first retirement — and first zero-score — of the 2026 season.
According to Corriere della Sera, the fault on Lewis Hamilton’s number 44 Ferrari was located in the hydraulic section of the brake-by-wire system. The problem adds another disappointing result to a difficult sequence for the Maranello team, which has now gone four consecutive Grands Prix without a podium.
Ferrari identifies cause of Lewis Hamilton’s Madrid brake failure
Ferrari had already begun a detailed investigation into the issue immediately after Madrid, when an unpredictable braking problem brought Lewis Hamilton’s race to an early end. The latest information now points specifically to the hydraulic side of the brake-by-wire system and a secondary component as the cause. The earlier stages of the technical investigation can be revisited in our report on Ferrari’s investigation into Lewis Hamilton’s Madrid brake failure.
The retirement was particularly significant because Lewis Hamilton had previously avoided a zero-score throughout the season. It also arrived during a period in which Ferrari had expected considerably stronger results following encouraging performances at Silverstone and Spa.
The latest news and developments surrounding the seven-time world champion’s Ferrari campaign can be followed in the dedicated Lewis Hamilton section.
Ferrari’s four-race podium drought continues
After the strong performances at Silverstone and Spa, Ferrari approached Budapest, Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid with justified optimism. Expectations were also raised by the Italian Grand Prix debut of the power unit equipped with ADUO-2. However, the Scuderia not only failed to add another victory during those four events, but also failed to finish inside the top three in any of them.
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur has highlighted qualifying as the crucial weakness. Over a race distance, the SF-26 rarely appears to have much to envy compared with its rivals, but starting position has become increasingly decisive.
The 2026 regulations had initially been expected to produce overtaking almost in a “yo-yo” style, yet qualifying has once again assumed fundamental importance. With Ferrari’s current power unit, collecting pole positions during the remainder of the season appears particularly difficult.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton DNFs end Ferrari’s Mercedes hopes
The zero-scores suffered by Charles Leclerc at Monza and Lewis Hamilton at Madrid have also effectively extinguished the remaining hope of challenging Mercedes for the Constructors’ Championship. Instead of concentrating solely on the team ahead, Ferrari must increasingly pay attention to what is happening behind.
McLaren is now only 52 points behind the Scuderia and has comfortably outscored Ferrari across the most recent races despite Oscar Piastri experiencing clear difficulties. The changing balance between the teams can be tracked through the Ferrari vs F1 rivals statistics.
That pressure makes every retirement particularly damaging. Ferrari entered this phase of the championship hoping to consolidate its position behind Mercedes and potentially reduce the deficit at the front, but recent results have instead opened the door for McLaren to close rapidly.
Lewis Hamilton’s first retirement adds to Ferrari’s difficult run
Lewis Hamilton’s Madrid result therefore carries significance beyond the technical failure itself. His first retirement of the season came during a four-race period in which Ferrari has failed to convert promising race pace into podium finishes, while its two main rivals have continued accumulating valuable points.
The hydraulic brake-by-wire failure explains why the number 44 SF-26 could not finish the Spanish Grand Prix, but Ferrari’s wider challenge remains unchanged: the team needs stronger qualifying performances and cleaner weekends if it is to protect its championship position during the closing stages of 2026.
With Mercedes now effectively out of reach in the Constructors’ fight and McLaren only 52 points behind, the remaining championship permutations are becoming increasingly important. The possible outcomes over the final rounds can be explored through the F1 Championship Points Calculator.
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