Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have identified the same fundamental weakness behind Ferrari’s disappointing performance at the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, with both drivers struggling to bring their tyres into the correct operating temperature. The SF-26 proved particularly difficult to manage in the changing conditions at Interlagos, leaving the Italian team with just six championship points after a race that exposed significant problems with its performance.
Leclerc described his Ferrari as virtually impossible to drive during the opening stint, while Hamilton admitted that the tyres stopped working almost immediately as the circuit began to dry. Their difficulties contributed to eighth and ninth-place finishes, with the seven-time world champion ending the Grand Prix a lap down despite gaining an extraordinary 11 positions on the opening lap.
Charles Leclerc reveals Ferrari’s biggest weakness at the São Paulo GP
Ferrari’s Brazilian weekend had already been complicated before the race began. Both drivers received penalties for changing power unit components, with Hamilton accumulating a combined 65-place grid penalty that left him 20th on the starting grid. Leclerc faced a similarly challenging recovery after being relegated to 14th.
Although the starting positions made a strong result difficult, the most serious concern emerged from the behaviour of the SF-26 in the unpredictable weather. Ferrari had struggled to generate sufficient tyre temperature, preventing its drivers from extracting the available grip during crucial phases of the Grand Prix.
Speaking to F1.com after the race, Charles Leclerc acknowledged that the team’s execution had been reasonable but described his pace during the opening stint as extremely poor. The Monegasque explained that getting the tyres up to temperature had been a major problem, particularly during the early laps when his Ferrari offered so little grip that driving it felt comparable to being on ice.
Leclerc considered the car almost undriveable in those conditions and contrasted his difficulties with Hamilton’s impressive start. His teammate had clearly managed to find a way to generate performance immediately, whereas Leclerc was unable to achieve a similar level of grip.
The situation gradually improved as the race progressed, although further limitations prevented the Ferrari driver from making the most of the additional pace. Once the tyres began working more effectively, he found himself frequently running in traffic, which restricted his opportunities to exploit the car’s performance.
Another issue was the amount of time being lost on the straights. The combination of insufficient tyre temperature, limited clean air and a straight-line speed disadvantage made the opening stint particularly frustrating for Leclerc.
The problems were especially significant at a circuit where tyre management and changing weather conditions at Interlagos had already been identified as major challenges for Ferrari. The demands of the Brazilian circuit made finding the correct balance between tyre performance and race strategy particularly important.
Ferrari improves on soft tyres but Charles Leclerc struggles in traffic
Leclerc’s second stint provided a more encouraging picture of the SF-26’s potential. Running on the soft compound, the Ferrari driver reported a considerably stronger level of performance than he had experienced earlier in the race.
However, the improvement did not translate into a substantial recovery through the field. Once again, the lack of clean air limited his ability to make progress, leaving him dependent on strategic decisions and the changing track conditions to improve his position.
The closing stages brought another difficult judgement as rain returned to Interlagos. Leclerc explained that the team had needed to remain patient and make the correct tyre decision, eventually recovering to a position behind the drivers from the three leading teams.
Although the overall execution had allowed him to salvage championship points, he believed there was considerably more to understand about the SF-26’s behaviour. The difficulty of predicting how the car would respond to wet conditions had turned tyre management into a major source of uncertainty.
For the Monegasque, approaching another rain-affected phase of the race felt almost like leaving the outcome to chance. The car could become extremely difficult to control depending on whether Ferrari managed to bring the tyres into their working range, and he emphasised that substantial work would be required to address the weakness.
The difference between tyre compounds and the performance available during individual stints can be explored through the Formula 1 tyre and stint analysis, which allows comparisons of race strategies, tyre selections and stint lengths.
Lewis Hamilton agrees with Leclerc after promising Ferrari recovery collapses
Lewis Hamilton encountered similar tyre temperature problems, although the opening phase of his race initially suggested that a much stronger result might be possible.
Starting from 20th, the Briton gained 11 places during the first lap, immediately putting himself back into contention for points. He was also among the first drivers to switch to dry-weather tyres as the opening rain shower passed, a decision that initially worked in his favour.
However, the improvement was short-lived. As the circuit continued drying, Hamilton found that his tyres began losing performance almost immediately, making it increasingly difficult to keep the Ferrari under control.
Reflecting on the race, the seven-time world champion explained that his exceptional start had raised hopes of a positive result before the deterioration in tyre performance changed the situation. He identified the difficulty of bringing the tyres into their effective operating range and keeping them there as one of the team’s biggest challenges.
Those comments closely matched Leclerc’s assessment, highlighting a common limitation rather than two completely separate problems. Both Ferrari drivers struggled to obtain consistent performance from the available compounds as track conditions evolved.
Hamilton’s afternoon deteriorated further when rain returned towards the end of the Grand Prix. While other drivers moved to intermediate tyres, he decided to remain on slicks despite the worsening conditions.
The decision went against the advice of his race engineer, Carlo Santi, and ultimately proved costly. Hamilton lost control and spun as the rain intensified, narrowly avoiding a more serious incident before eventually making his pit stop.
The mistake contributed to his ninth-place finish, one position behind Leclerc and a lap behind the race winner. It also meant that the impressive progress achieved at the start had produced only a limited reward.
Lewis Hamilton accepts responsibility for late mistake as Ferrari scores just six points
Unlike Leclerc, who concentrated primarily on the car’s handling limitations, Hamilton also acknowledged his own role in the disappointing outcome.
The British driver admitted that his late spin had contributed to Ferrari missing out on the points total he believed the team deserved. He accepted part of the responsibility for the result while stressing the importance of learning from the experience and moving forward.
Hamilton also paid tribute to the Ferrari personnel after an exhausting sequence of three consecutive Grands Prix. He described the triple-header as particularly demanding for the team but praised the work carried out by its members throughout the challenging period.
The final result nevertheless left Ferrari with only six championship points from the São Paulo Grand Prix, a disappointing return considering the effort involved in recovering from the grid penalties.
The outcome was particularly frustrating because both drivers had shown moments of competitiveness. Hamilton’s opening-lap performance demonstrated his ability to make rapid progress through the field, while Leclerc eventually found a more encouraging level of pace on the soft tyres.
However, neither could maintain that performance consistently enough to secure a stronger result. The inability to control tyre temperatures across different track conditions remained the central problem identified by both drivers.
Ferrari’s disappointing weekend follows tensions between Leclerc and Hamilton
The problems at Interlagos arrived against an already difficult backdrop for Ferrari, with the relationship between its two drivers attracting considerable attention following their controversial confrontation at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had not spoken to each other before arriving in São Paulo, although team principal Fred Vasseur arranged discussions between them in the paddock.
The situation had previously prompted questions about how Ferrari should manage its drivers, particularly after Fred Vasseur reportedly considered introducing new racing guidelines following the events in Mexico.
The build-up to the Brazilian weekend had also been dominated by continuing tensions between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, adding another challenge for a team attempting to improve its results during the closing stages of the season.
On this occasion, however, the two drivers were united in their assessment of the SF-26’s shortcomings. Both pointed directly to the difficulty of maintaining adequate tyre temperatures, an issue that prevented Ferrari from delivering competitive and consistent race pace.
The disappointing outcome also came as Mercedes secured the Constructors’ Championship, extending Ferrari’s wait for another Formula 1 world title.
Max Verstappen has argued that the Maranello team cannot realistically challenge for the championship while attempting to accommodate two number-one drivers, particularly given the repeated on-track disagreements between Hamilton and Leclerc throughout 2026.
That debate remains an important part of Ferrari’s wider situation, but the São Paulo Grand Prix also underlined the scale of the technical work facing the team. Even with both drivers identifying the same weakness, the SF-26’s unpredictable response to changing tyre temperatures left Ferrari struggling to turn moments of promising performance into a competitive race result.
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