Lewis Hamilton has explained the Ferrari brake failure that forced him to retire from the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, admitting the setback was particularly painful because he believed the SF-26 had the performance to fight at least for a podium and potentially even the top two positions.
Ferrari finished the Spanish GP with only one car after Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire following a brake problem in the opening laps. It was another frustrating weekend for the Scuderia, which has now gone four consecutive races without placing either car on the podium. The issue was especially significant at a circuit where Madrid’s demanding braking zones had already been identified as one of the main technical challenges of the weekend.
Following qualifying, Ferrari already knew that making significant progress in the race would be difficult because the Madrid circuit offers very limited overtaking opportunities. Lewis Hamilton’s race then became even more complicated when the brake problem left him unable to slow the car normally, eventually forcing him to retire after only a few laps.
Lewis Hamilton explains Ferrari brake failure in Madrid
After the race, Lewis Hamilton described exactly what he felt when the problem first appeared while braking for Turn 5.
“When I braked for Turn 5, I pressed the pedal, the car started slowing down and then the pedal suddenly dropped a step and the car didn’t decelerate as quickly as usual. In the end, I carried a lot of speed in and brushed the barrier. After that, the pedal came back to normal and then a few corners later it went long. I really don’t know where that came from.
“I feel demoralised for everyone who works at Maranello and also for the people on the team who come to the track. The car was great today, I had the chance to fight and challenge those ahead of us, at least for the podium, if not even for the top two positions. But I was unlucky to have this brake problem very early.”
Hamilton believes Ferrari could have fought for the Spanish GP podium
The retirement therefore left Lewis Hamilton with considerable regret. His comments suggest that Ferrari’s race performance was stronger than the final result indicated and that, without the brake failure, the seven-time world champion believed he could have challenged the cars ahead for a podium and perhaps even one of the first two positions.
The Madrid setback also dealt another major blow to Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 Formula 1 title hopes, with his chances of remaining realistically involved in the championship fight fading further after another weekend without a strong points haul.
Ferrari could face another difficult technical challenge at Baku, where the team is expected to continue suffering from a lack of outright power compared with its main rivals. That concern will maintain the focus on Ferrari’s ADUO power-unit development as the championship moves towards another circuit where straight-line performance will be particularly important.
Lewis Hamilton praises Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton also congratulated his former team Mercedes and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli following the Madrid race.
“There’s nothing that can stop Antonelli and Mercedes this year. I think they’ve done a phenomenal job and they deserve it.”
For Ferrari, however, Madrid ended with another missed opportunity. Lewis Hamilton’s retirement removed one SF-26 from contention early, while his post-race assessment underlined the frustration of believing the car had enough performance to challenge much closer to the front before the brake failure brought his race to a premature end.
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