Ferrari unclear on Lewis Hamilton’s brake problem at Spanish Grand Prix
14th September 2026Ferrari’s Team Principal, Fred Vasseur has confirmed the team are unclear on what caused Lewis Hamilton’s brake problem at the Spanish Grand Prix which led the Briton to retire.
Feature image credit: Ferrari Media Centre
Hamilton suffered a blow to his championship hopes at the Spanish Grand Prix’s Madring, on Sunday, after the seven-time world champion was forced to retire from the race early on.
It was reported by the multiple world champion that there was a slight issue with his brakes as they went ‘long,’ and the issue only compounded as the drivers got into their rhythm.
Hamilton quickly plummeted to the bottom of the pack, unable to slow down his car enough, venturing off the track and eventually earning himself a black-and-white flag for track limits before pulling into the pits to retire.
Following the Spanish Grand Prix, their team boss, Vasseur has confirmed the team do not know the exact cause of the issue. He said:
“At this stage we don’t yet know the exact cause of the brake system issue that forced him to retire and we will investigate it thoroughly.”
Kimi Antonelli extends championship lead with Spanish Grand Prix win
It marks the first time Hamilton has not finished a race this season, having been the only driver, prior to the Spanish race, to complete every racing lap in the season.
Looking back at the weekend, Hamilton praised the team and acknowledged the disappointment of his retirement. He said:
“Firstly, a big thank you to the team for the job they did throughout the weekend. We were in a position to fight for a strong result and the car had been performing well.
“Unfortunately, we encountered an issue with the braking system very quickly into the race which brought our afternoon to an early end. It’s disappointing, especially considering all the effort that went into the weekend both here at the track and back at the factory.”
As a result of the retirement, Hamilton has fallen further behind the eventual Spanish GP winner and championship leader, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. The gap now sits at 101 points between the seven-time world champion and Antonelli.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Kimi Antonelli extends championship lead with Spanish Grand Prix win
- Spanish Grand Prix: Starting grid with penalties and pit lane starts applied
- Tyre strategies for the Spanish Grand Prix
- Pirelli suspect hard compounds to be vital to Spanish Grand Prix strategy
- McLaren ‘thrilled’ with Spanish GP pole but not ‘satisfied’
- Lando Norris pips Kimi Antonelli by 0.011s for Spanish Grand Prix pole
- Kimi Antonelli goes fastest in red-flag filled Spanish Grand Prix final practice
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
