Lewis Hamilton described his race at the Spanish Grand Prix as the worst he has ever experienced behind the wheel of a Ferrari, due to a technical problem that heavily compromised his performance and even led to him being overtaken by Nico Hulkenberg’s Stake. The seven-time world champion finished in sixth place, taking advantage of the penalty given to Max Verstappen, but his race was marked by clear difficulties.
Hamilton, who had risen to fourth in the early stages of the race, gradually lost ground, being overtaken by teammate Charles Leclerc and Sauber driver Nico Hülkenberg. At the end of the race, Fred Vasseur confirmed that both Ferrari drivers suffered from technical problems, though he did not go into detail.
Hidden technical issue, but decisive for Lewis Hamilton
“Major technical problems. Unfortunately, the team doesn’t want us to talk about it too much, but both of us had issues that seriously hindered us from mid-race onwards,” said Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Canadian GP.
“I didn’t know if it was just my car, but over the radio I said it was the worst feeling I’ve ever had in a race car — and that’s exactly how it was. In the end I thought: ‘Damn, I’ve never experienced something this negative for so long during a race.’”
Visibly shaken after the race, Lewis Hamilton apologised for the tone of his interview with Sky Sports F1’s Rachel Brookes, explaining that only after the debrief with the engineers did he discover the real reason behind his struggles.
“It was only after the TV interviews that I spoke with the engineers and we found out the problem,” Lewis Hamilton recounted. “It was a relief to know there was something concrete, because at that moment I really felt demoralised.”
With the Canadian GP just around the corner, Ferrari must figure out how to intervene to prevent technical issues from once again compromising the team’s results — and, above all, the morale of its British champion.
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