Lewis Hamilton lost ground in the Brazilian Grand Prix because he missed a crucial pit lane entry. The Ferrari driver admitted he did not realize the rain was getting heavier just before his car spun. RaceFans reported that Hamilton said he “didn’t hear that it was raining more” in the first sector before the wet track caught him off guard.
The spin happened at high speed near the pit exit while Hamilton was still on slick tires. This mistake forced an extra stop and dropped him down the order. He finished ninth after starting from 20th on the grid. Hamilton made up 11 spots on the first lap but had to give one back after passing Oliver Bearman off-track. The stewards later ruled he gained no advantage from that move.
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Radio messages show the team and driver were not on the same page about the weather. Hamilton kept asking if more rain was coming while the track was drying up. He told his team the rear tires were overheating and that he was falling behind. The Ferrari crew held him out on slicks longer than rivals because they thought the rain would stay light. Hamilton explained the confusion by saying, “Just at the end, the last message I’d got was that it was going to stay this drizzle.”
He thought the conditions were stable enough to push hard for a win. The driver said he was waiting for his moment to stay out and fight. Instead, the track turned wet in the fast corners and he lost control. Hamilton noted that he “didn’t hear that it was raining more” before he passed the pit lane and hit the water. This lack of clear info cost him a couple of places right when he needed them.
Even before the spin, Hamilton struggled with tire wear on the dry parts of the track. He started the race with a great launch but the rear tires “ballooned and overheated and I struggled,” he said. He managed to switch to slicks at a good time later in the race. However, the conditions remained tricky and required an extra pit stop. Hamilton stated, “It was very tricky in those conditions. Then we ended up having an extra [pit] stop, which I think ultimately put me, I had a lot of ground to cover from there.”
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He finished two places behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, who made one fewer stop. Most other rivals made the same number of stops as Hamilton. The extra time in the pits meant he could not catch up to the leaders. Lando Norris won the race at Interlagos after Isack Antonelli spun out of the lead. Hamilton’s race was defined by the late spin and the extra stop that followed.
Hamilton finished the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix in ninth place after starting 20th.
