Brazil, a place where Lewis Hamilton is usually adored, turned into the stage of one of his most difficult weekends of the season. The seven-time world champion endured his worst Grand Prix since Zandvoort, failing to finish the race once again—this time due to the aftermath of multiple on-track collisions. To make matters worse, his ongoing tension with the FIA stewards flared up once again, echoing his frustrations from Mexico as several decisions left him furious.
Hamilton: “Colapinto moved at the same time”
Hamilton’s troubled Sunday began right at the start, when he was hit hard by Carlos Sainz’s Williams in Turn 1. “I’m not really sure what happened there, but obviously it wasn’t great to get hit from behind, and after that the car was just gone,” he said. The chaos continued at the end of the opening lap, when the Ferrari driver made contact with Franco Colapinto’s Alpine in Turn 15, just before the finish line. “He made a mistake in the previous corner, while I had a good exit. As I started to move, it felt like he moved at the same moment,” Lewis Hamilton explained about the episode.
The stewards, however, saw the situation differently. They deemed Lewis Hamilton fully responsible for the collision and handed him a five-second time penalty along with one penalty point on his super licence. The FIA’s statement read: “Car 44 was entirely to blame for the collision. Although the contact was minor, the incident is classified as a collision as it caused mechanical damage to one of the cars. However, there are mitigating factors that justify reducing the standard penalty from 10 seconds to 5 seconds. The impact occurred at low speed, had no immediate sporting consequences for the other car, and can be considered a relatively light contact.”
With a heavily damaged car, Lewis Hamilton continued circulating while awaiting the stewards’ decision, hoping to serve the penalty during the race rather than carry it over to the next round. When the ruling came through, his frustration boiled over on team radio: “These guys are a joke. An absolute joke. The other car moved towards me, and I broke my front wing.” It was another tense exchange following recent controversies—particularly the penalty he received in Mexico and the lack of sanctions for rivals who had cut Turn 1 at the start.
Hamilton on Ferrari’s handling issues
Speaking after the race, the British driver detailed the impact of the damage on his Ferrari SF-25. “After the contact, it felt like the rear suspension was broken, but the team told me it looked fine. Still, there was definitely something wrong, and we lost a lot of downforce—maybe 30 or 40 points. At high speed the car was bouncing, and I was doing everything I could to keep up with the guys ahead, but I had no chance.”
Hamilton’s determination to fight back
After dissecting the controversial moments of his race, Lewis Hamilton turned to the emotional side of his tough Sunday—both for himself and for Ferrari, which slipped to fourth place in the Constructors’ standings. “It’s obviously a disaster, stressful and disappointing for everyone in the team. But I’m trying to keep my head above water, to stay positive. Maybe this year we’re just getting rid of all the bad luck. We won’t give up.”
Despite the chaotic race, Ferrari’s SF-25 still showed glimpses of strong performance, as proven by Charles Leclerc’s third-place qualifying result. “Charles did a great job in qualifying yesterday, so the car clearly has pace. At this point, I just have to believe that something good will come from all these challenges we’re facing,” the Briton continued. “I’m sorry I couldn’t deliver a strong result today. All I can say is that you can’t give up—you have to keep trying, you have to keep pushing.”
Admitting mistakes and moving forward
Lewis Hamilton also accepted responsibility for his own performance, particularly his P13 qualifying result that left him in a vulnerable grid position—a factor that contributed to the chaos of the opening lap. “This is definitely a weekend to forget,” he admitted. “It’s a shame because I love Brazil, and everyone in the team gives their all every weekend. To go home with nothing, to not finish a race for the second time this year—it’s devastating. I feel really sorry for the team. I’m sorry for my qualifying result, for putting myself in that position. But we’ll get back up tomorrow and try again.”
“It’s a challenge, but I’ll rise again”
Lewis Hamilton concluded his reflection by reaffirming his determination to succeed with Ferrari. “Going from the dream of driving for this incredible team to the nightmare of the results we’ve had—with all the ups and downs—it’s a challenge,” he said. “But tomorrow I’ll rise again. I’ll keep training, I’ll keep working with the team. I really wanted to score good points this weekend, but I’ll come back stronger in the next race and try to recover.” – the Briton pointed our at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
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