Ferrari left the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix with another frustrating result after Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire with a brake problem and Charles Leclerc finished fourth at Madrid’s Madring circuit. The 14th round of the Formula 1 season had offered the Scuderia an immediate opportunity to respond after a disappointing Spanish GP qualifying session, but Sunday ultimately produced little reward.
Lewis Hamilton’s race ended after only a handful of laps when a serious brake issue developed on his Ferrari, while Charles Leclerc’s alternative one-stop strategy briefly put him into the lead but ultimately delivered no more than fourth place. It was another weekend that began with encouraging signs before becoming progressively more difficult for Ferrari as the decisive sessions arrived.
Ferrari Spanish GP starts with Hamilton on softs and Leclerc on hards
The formation lap gets under way with Ferrari splitting the strategies between its two drivers. Lewis Hamilton starts on the Soft compound, while Charles Leclerc is fitted with Hards and is expected to extend the opening stint as far as possible, potentially waiting for a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car that could make his pit stop quicker and save valuable time. The cars return to the grid and everything is ready for the start.
Lewis Hamilton produces an excellent clutch release and immediately draws alongside Max Verstappen. The Ferrari driver cannot complete the move, however, as Max Verstappen cuts the corner and remains ahead. Lewis Hamilton complains over the radio, while the Dutchman also protests, arguing that he had to leave the track to avoid contact. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, makes an uneventful start and retains his position.
Three laps later, Max Verstappen receives a radio message that changes the order. The driver of car number 3 is instructed to give the positions back to both Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton following the opening-lap dispute with Hamilton.
At almost the same moment, however, Lewis Hamilton reports that he has a “long” brake pedal. It is a serious problem and clearly begins to slow the Ferrari, although it still takes Max Verstappen around half a lap to pass him again. Charles Leclerc then comes through as well, and Ferrari’s nightmare becomes clear: car number 44 is effectively losing its brakes.
Adjustments made through the steering wheel fail to solve the problem, leaving Lewis Hamilton with no choice but to return to the pits. It is not clear at this stage whether the failure is hydraulic in nature or related to excessive temperatures, but the outcome is the same: Lewis Hamilton’s Spanish Grand Prix is over.
By lap seven, Charles Leclerc’s number 16 is the only Ferrari still in the race. The Monegasque driver sits fourth, approximately two seconds behind Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc takes the lead as Ferrari commits to one-stop strategy
Very little changes over the following five laps. Charles Leclerc settles into his rhythm and essentially matches Max Verstappen’s pace, while Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli at the front are faster. George Russell is also behind the Ferrari and has been attempting to close the gap to the Monegasque driver since the start.
On lap 15, race control deploys the Virtual Safety Car to allow marshals to clear debris from the circuit. Ferrari decides not to take advantage of the opportunity, unlike Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, who both change tyres. Lando Norris stops one lap later, promoting Charles Leclerc into the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
It is a decision that could still pay off. Charles Leclerc’s Hard tyres have plenty of life remaining, giving Ferrari the possibility of extending the stint considerably. Racing resumes on lap 16 and Kimi Antonelli immediately begins chasing the Ferrari.
In clean air, Charles Leclerc is able to push the SF-26 and, for five laps, prevents Kimi Antonelli from getting within one second and accessing overtake mode. Eventually, however, the Mercedes driver lowers his lap times and begins to close the gap.
A fascinating battle begins to develop because overtaking at Madring is far from straightforward and Charles Leclerc has no intention of making life easy for the Italian Mercedes driver. At this stage, Ferrari’s tactical choice appears to be working.
Charles Leclerc’s lap times continue to fall while Kimi Antonelli’s pace drops away for several laps. For the moment, Ferrari’s decision to pursue a one-stop race appears justified, although much will depend on how Mercedes manages the remainder of the Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli also appears increasingly restless and accumulates two track-limit infringements, moving closer to the risk of a penalty if he repeats the mistake.
Ferrari believes in one-stop gamble but strategy brings no further reward
The key question now concerns the strategy of the cars behind Charles Leclerc. Taking tyre degradation into account, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris could potentially reach the finish without stopping again, while Charles Leclerc still has to make his mandatory tyre change.
The Ferrari driver would naturally have much fresher tyres after stopping and would also benefit from a lighter car later in the race. The problem is that he would then have to overtake all three rivals on track, something that is particularly difficult around Madring.
By lap 35, the situation remains unchanged and the gaps between the leading four cars are effectively frozen. On lap 40, Charles Leclerc comes onto the radio seeking clarification about the overall race picture and what Ferrari is actually fighting for.
The pit wall provides a clear answer: if Ferrari stopped at that moment, Charles Leclerc would rejoin fourth, around 13 seconds behind Lando Norris. What the Scuderia desperately needs is a Safety Car.
The race continues in the same way until lap 48, when Ferrari finally calls Charles Leclerc in for his first and only pit stop. The team fits the Soft tyre for the closing stages and makes a four-click front-wing adjustment.
Charles Leclerc rejoins in fourth place, approximately 23 seconds behind the leading three cars, which are running close together and fighting for victory. Ferrari’s strategic gamble has therefore reached its limit.
Ferrari leaves Madrid frustrated after another missed opportunity
There is ultimately little more Charles Leclerc can do. Even with a different strategy, Ferrari does not appear to have the outright race pace required to fight for victory. The result also highlights the gap between the potential Ferrari had hoped the circuit might unlock and what the SF-26 was actually able to deliver after earlier indications that Madring could suit the SF-26 better than Monza.
It becomes another Ferrari weekend that starts positively, begins to unravel on Saturday and then drifts towards an unsatisfactory result on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton’s retirement compounds the disappointment, while Charles Leclerc’s fourth place provides some points without delivering the result Ferrari had hoped to fight for.
Madrid therefore comes to an end with a bitter feeling for the Scuderia once again. An aggressive strategic approach allowed Charles Leclerc to lead the race, but it was not enough to transform Ferrari’s afternoon, while Lewis Hamilton’s early brake problem removed the second SF-26 from contention almost before the race had properly developed.
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