Lewis Hamilton has conceded that his hopes of winning the 2026 Formula 1 title are effectively over after his retirement at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver was forced to stop his car on the seventh lap of F1’s first-ever race in Madrid due to brake problems.
The incident ended Hamilton’s impressive streak of finishing every racing lap in 2026 prior to Madrid. That reliability had been a key factor in him being an outside bet for the title, but he was already 76 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli before the race started.
With Antonelli now taking his eighth victory in 14 races, Hamilton finds himself 101 points adrift of the Mercedes driver with nine scheduled races remaining. That could reduce to eight if the final two Middle Eastern rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi have to be cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in Iran. If that happens, F1’s contingency plan would be to host the season finale in Imola in early December.
When it was put to him that Antonelli now looked “hard to stop”, Hamilton admitted to Sky Sports F1: “There's no stopping him and Mercedes this year. I think they've done a phenomenal job and they deserve it.”
Explaining his race-ending brake failure, Hamilton said: “Braking into Turn 5, I hit the brake, the car started stopping and then the pedal took a step and the car didn't decelerate as fast as it would normally, and I ended up carrying a lot of speed in andg brushed the barrier. After that, the pedal came back, it was fine, and then a few corners later the pedal went long. Don't really know where that's come from.”
Hamilton is also braced for another challenging race at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Baku’s long straights expected to expose Ferrari’s power deficit to Mercedes. “It's long straights there, so I don't really know what to expect at that track, but I'll give it everything,” he said. “Mercedes will be very strong for me.”
With Mercedes’ dominance and Ferrari’s struggles, Hamilton’s quest for an eighth world title now appears nearly impossible. His focus shifts to salvaging the remainder of the season, though the technical challenges and points gap mean he must be realistic.
Read Also
Antonelli wins Spanish GP to lead by 81 points, but Toto Wolff warns that Mercedes' reliability remains the biggest threat in the remaining F1 season.
Max Verstappen finished second in F1 Spain after Red Bull asked him to give back two positions. Team boss Laurent Mekies defends the controversial decision.
Max Verstappen mocks Madring circuit after holding off Lando Norris at F1 Spanish GP. Criticizes lack of overtaking and Antonelli's win.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!