Hamilton’s Spanish GP brake failure leaves 101-point gap to Antonelli

Lewis Hamilton’s Spanish Grand Prix ended with a brake failure on Sunday, leaving the Ferrari driver 101 points behind race winner and championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The Associated Press reported that Hamilton retired early in the Madrid race after starting fourth.

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Hamilton described an unexpected change in brake-pedal behaviour that reduced the car’s deceleration and led him to brush a barrier. The pedal initially recovered before the problem returned a few corners later. He said he did not know what had caused the fault, leaving the technical explanation unresolved in his account.

According to AP, Hamilton felt Ferrari had the pace to challenge for victory and remained optimistic about improvements. Charles Leclerc finished fourth. Hamilton’s weekend had included fourth and third places in Friday’s practice sessions, followed by a crash in final practice and a qualifying session in which he struggled to complete a clean lap.

The Guardian reported that Hamilton had conceded his title hopes and praised Antonelli and Mercedes. Antonelli’s win extended his championship advantage to 81 points, BBC Sport reported, but the Mercedes driver acknowledged that Lando Norris had deserved the victory. Norris had led from pole before the timing of a virtual safety car changed the race.

BBC Sport’s account said Norris was more than six seconds ahead after 13 laps. The caution was introduced just after he passed the pit entry, following Lance Stroll’s stoppage. Antonelli and Max Verstappen could pit while the field was slowed, but the caution ended before Norris returned. A stop under those conditions saved around 11 seconds compared with stopping at racing speed.

Norris also lost roughly five seconds to trouble with his right-side tyres during his stop and ultimately finished third behind Antonelli and Verstappen. He later questioned whether the rules should be reconsidered. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the team would review whether it could have anticipated the caution, while noting the risk of stopping unnecessarily. His comments left that assessment open rather than identifying a settled alternative strategy.