Lewis Hamilton’s Brazilian Grand Prix unravelled in spectacular fashion, culminating in a furious outburst over team radio and a premature retirement that left Ferrari in ruins. The seven-time world champion’s day began with chaos, spiraling rapidly into frustration and defeat as his hopes of salvaging a result at Interlagos evaporated. His retirement added to Ferrari’s misery, with teammate Charles Leclerc also forced out of the race after a separate collision.
The race was dominated by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who further tightened his grip on the 2025 title fight by taking a commanding victory ahead of Mercedes prodigy Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, could do no better than fourth, leaving the Australian trailing Norris by 24 points with just three rounds to go. But for Hamilton, Sunday’s focus was less on the championship battle and more on sheer damage limitation—something that never came.
Hamilton’s troubles began almost immediately when contact with Williams driver Carlos Sainz saw him drop several positions. Moments later, another collision—this time with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto—ripped off his front wing, forcing an early pit stop and earning him a five-second penalty from the stewards. Incensed, Hamilton unleashed his fury on the radio: “These guys are a joke. A complete joke. The car moved over on me, so I clipped my wing.” His mounting anger painted a clear picture of a driver battling both machinery and misfortune.
As the laps wore on, Hamilton’s frustrations deepened. The Ferrari’s handling deteriorated, its rear grip vanishing as the Brit warned his engineers, “It’s likely I’m going to end up in the barriers. The rear is dropping off big time.” The inevitable came on lap 39, when he was told to retire the car—a decision that ended a race he later described as “a weekend to forget.” Still, he remained humble in defeat, apologising to his team and promising to come back stronger.
Elsewhere, Leclerc’s race met a similarly grim fate after he was struck by Antonelli, who had been tagged by Piastri’s overzealous dive into Turn 1. The incident destroyed the Ferrari’s front-left suspension, forcing an immediate retirement and earning Piastri a 10-second penalty. As the dust settled at Interlagos, Hamilton’s rage, Ferrari’s collapse, and Norris’s triumph marked yet another dramatic chapter in a season that refuses to lose its edge—with the Las Vegas Grand Prix now looming as the next battlefield.
