Ferrari Explains Brake Failure That Knocked Hamilton Out of Spanish Grand Prix
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The Ferrari team has provided an explanation for the brake issues that forced Lewis Hamilton to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton began experiencing brake difficulties early in Sunday's race in Madrid. This occurred after Max Verstappen returned third place to him, as the Red Bull driver had cut across the first corner.
As the problem worsened, the seven-time world champion started losing positions before being called into the pits to retire after just seven laps. This marked Hamilton's first DNF in 10 months and ended his impressive streak of completing every race lap in the current season prior to the Madrid event.
"The pedal went down. We tried to fix it from the pit wall, but after a few corners, it happened again. There was no point in him staying on track in such a crazy race. We didn't want to take any risks," stated Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur.
Hamilton himself shared that he was "lucky to get back" to the garage after the brake failure.
"It was really unexpected. I was braking for Turn 5 on the first lap, and the car was braking normally. Then the pedal went down, and I entered the corner at a very high speed because the car didn't stop properly. On the next corner, everything was fine, and I thought we would be okay," Hamilton explained.
The Briton believes Ferrari had a car capable of fighting for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix after a strong start to the race.
"I think the team did an incredible job, so I'm sad for them that they couldn't get the maximum points. I believe we had a car today to fight for the win, but unfortunately, it just didn't work out," commented the seven-time champion.
While Vasseur acknowledged Ferrari's performance was encouraging, the Frenchman believes third place was likely the best possible outcome.
"When you see Charles' pace, you can imagine we had the speed to fight with everyone. It's more a matter of track position. Honestly, it was extremely difficult to overtake today. I'm more focused on my cars, but I don't know who was overtaking during the race. I think in this situation, it's all about track position. To 'fight' isn't the right word; it's more about position," the Frenchman said.
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