Nightmare in Brazil
Lewis Hamilton had a weekend to forget in Brazil. He did not qualify for Q3 and was disadvantaged early in the race. At the first corner, he hit Carlos Sainz's Williams. Later, he tapped Franco Colapinto's Alpine, giving him a five-second penalty and losing a lot of downforce.
After serving that penalty, Ferrari decided to recall the car. This prevented the team from turning the penalty into a grid penalty for the next race in Las Vegas. Hamilton had to abandon the race early.
According to the stewards, what happened?
The stewards found Hamilton ‘fully responsible’ for the collision with Colapinto. Yet there were extenuating circumstances. Therefore, the standard penalty of 10 seconds was reduced to five seconds. The reason: the difference in speed was small, the contact light and there was no immediate visible sporting consequence for the other car.
Hamilton himself said Colapinto ’moved at the same time’, leading to the collision. That led to discussion between Hamilton and his race engineer about continuing or stopping.
Why Ferrari recalled the car
Team boss Fred Vasseur explained that the Ferrari lost a huge amount of downforce. He remained uncertain whether that damage came from the collision with Sainz or because Hamilton's front wing ended up under the Alpine. It could also be a combination of both damages.
Ferrari chose to stall the car to save the engine for the last three races of 2025. Vasseur: If you are driving at the back and lack roughly 35 to 40 points of downforce, there is no point in putting unnecessary strain on the engine.
Hamilton on the toll of the season
Hamilton called his first season at Ferrari ‘a nightmare’ that has persisted for some time. He stressed that the move to the team was a dream, but the results keep dampening that feeling.
He said he felt terrible for the team. He praised everyone's efforts and felt it was painful to leave without a result. He took responsibility for his qualification and promised to fight back.
Hamilton is trying to stay positive. He wants to keep training and working hard with the team. He believes something good can come out of this difficult period and hopes the unlucky season is now largely behind them.
Key points
- Q2-out for Hamilton during qualifying.
- Contact with Sainz in Turn 1 on the opening lap.
- Tap with Colapinto led to five-second penalty (original 10s).
- Stewards found Hamilton responsible, but called the touch light.
- Ferrari withdrew the car to save the engine for the final three races of 2025.
Hamilton wants to come back stronger soon. The next chance to take points is the race in Las Vegas.
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