Lewis Hamilton’s Brazilian Grand Prix recovery suffered another significant setback as Ferrari instructed him to return a position to Oliver Bearman following scrutiny from the stewards, before Charles Leclerc overtook his teammate during a closely contested battle at Interlagos.
The dramatic sequence unfolded across laps nine and ten of the 71-lap race. Hamilton lost ground to Bearman and Arvid Lindblad before finding himself defending against Leclerc, with the two Ferrari drivers going wheel to wheel just one week after their controversial encounter in Mexico City.
Ferrari asks Lewis Hamilton to return position amid stewards investigation risk
Hamilton’s difficulties began when the stewards noted a potential infringement involving an overtake on Oliver Bearman during the opening lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The incident concerned whether Hamilton had gained a position on the Haas driver by leaving the track. With the possibility of a penalty hanging over the Ferrari driver, the team decided to act rather than wait for further intervention from race control.
Ferrari instructed Hamilton to give the position back to Bearman, a request the seven-time world champion followed. The decision was intended to reduce the risk of a sporting penalty, although the available race update did not establish whether the stewards had reached a final decision.
The position return proved particularly costly because Hamilton also lost ground to Arvid Lindblad. By lap nine, the Briton had surrendered places to both drivers, interrupting his attempts to recover from a starting position near the back of the grid.
His situation became even more difficult when teammate Charles Leclerc closed in from behind, setting up another direct battle between the Ferrari drivers.
Charles Leclerc overtakes Lewis Hamilton after intense Ferrari battle
On lap ten, the two Ferrari cars found themselves fighting closely for position around Interlagos, producing another competitive encounter just a week after their contentious first-lap incident at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Leclerc initially attacked on the inside at Turn 12, attempting to move ahead of Hamilton. However, the British driver responded along the main straight, refusing to surrender the position without a fight.
The battle continued into Turn 1, where Leclerc completed the overtake and moved ahead of his teammate.
It was a closely contested exchange rather than a straightforward position change, with both drivers involved in the fight before the Monegasque eventually emerged in front.
The manoeuvre added another setback to Hamilton’s difficult opening stages, leaving him behind Leclerc after already losing positions to Bearman and Lindblad.
Lewis Hamilton’s Brazilian GP recovery faces fresh complications
The sequence represented a sharp change in fortunes for Hamilton, who had initially made rapid progress through the field after starting 20th.
His impressive opening lap had taken him to 11th, but the subsequent stages became increasingly complicated. An earlier mistake while following Oscar Piastri had already allowed Max Verstappen to move ahead, and the position return involving Bearman created another obstacle.
By lap ten, the Ferrari driver had also been overtaken by his own teammate, leaving his recovery considerably more difficult than it had appeared immediately after the start.
For Ferrari, the decision to instruct Hamilton to return Bearman’s position was intended to address a potential rules infringement before it developed into a penalty. However, the immediate sporting consequence was another loss of track position.
The renewed battle between Leclerc and Hamilton also came against the backdrop of their recent disagreement in Mexico City, although there was no indication in the race updates of further controversy or any reaction from either driver following the Interlagos overtake.
With the Brazilian Grand Prix still in its early stages, Hamilton faced the task of rebuilding his recovery while Leclerc had successfully moved ahead in their latest on-track contest.
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