Hamilton's Brazilian Grand Prix Disaster
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has openly described his £60million-a-year move to Ferrari as a "nightmare" following a disastrous outing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The British racing icon was forced to retire after just 40 of the 71 laps following a collision with Alpine's Franco Colapinto.
Chaotic Race Day for Hamilton
Hamilton's afternoon at Interlagos proved challenging from the start, with the Mercedes driver beginning the race in 13th position on the grid - a stark contrast to Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who secured third place in qualifying. The situation deteriorated rapidly when Hamilton made contact with Williams driver Carlos Sainz on the opening lap, though stewards determined neither driver was at fault for this incident.
The race unravelled completely when Hamilton rammed into the back of Alpine's Franco Colapinto, an incident for which stewards held the British driver fully responsible. This collision earned Hamilton a five-second penalty and a point on his racing licence, ultimately leading to his retirement from the race.
Hamilton's Emotional Reaction
"This is a nightmare," Hamilton admitted after the race. "I've been living with it for a while. The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and the nightmare of the results we've had is a challenge."
The 39-year-old expressed his disappointment for the entire Ferrari team, stating: "It has been disastrous and disappointing for everyone in the team. I am trying to keep my head above water and remain positive."
Despite the setbacks, Hamilton found encouragement in Leclerc's qualifying performance, noting: "Charles did a great job in qualifying, so there is some performance in that car, and I have to believe there is something to come out of all these hardships."
Looking toward the future, Hamilton remained optimistic: "I am sure we are destined for something positive in the future. Maybe we are getting all our bad luck out of the way this year. Who knows? We won't give up and we will come back fighting at the next race."
Growing Points Deficit
The statistics highlight Hamilton's challenging season, with the British driver scoring 66 points fewer than teammate Leclerc. This gap would have been even more significant had Leclerc not been unfortunate to retire from the Brazilian race while running in third position, following a collision involving McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
