Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari Dream Turns Into a Dismal Nightmare at Sao Paulo Grand Prix
In what can only be described as a catastrophic experience, Lewis Hamilton has labeled his inaugural season at Ferrari as “a nightmare.” The seven-time world champion faced a weekend he would rather forget at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where disaster struck at every turn, culminating in his second retirement of the 2025 season.
Hamilton, who started the race from a disappointing 13th position, found himself embroiled in chaos right from the get-go. After an already tumultuous Sprint Qualifying on Friday, where he failed to advance past the second round, things escalated quickly during the main event. He clashed with fellow driver Carlos Sainz at the very first corner, sending Hamilton spiraling towards the back of the pack. As if that wasn’t enough, by the end of the opening lap, he collided violently with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto on the main straight. These two incidents inflicted severe floor damage on Hamilton’s car and earned him a five-second time penalty.
With his performance plummeting to 18th place, Ferrari made the difficult decision to retire Hamilton on Lap 39, officially putting an end to a nightmarish weekend at Interlagos. “This is a nightmare, I’ve been living it for a while,” Hamilton lamented to Sky Sports F1. He expressed his deep frustration about the stark contrast between what he envisioned driving for Ferrari to be and the harsh reality of his results. “The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of results that we’ve had… it’s challenging,” he added.
The woes did not end with Hamilton. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, also faced his share of misfortune during the race. Having qualified third, Leclerc found himself an innocent bystander in a collision between Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli, which left him out of contention. Ferrari’s position in the Constructors’ Championship has taken a significant hit, now sitting fourth and trailing Mercedes by a daunting 36 points.
“This is a weekend to forget,” Hamilton stated, reflecting on his disappointing performance. “It’s a shame because I love Brazil. Every single person in this team shows up every week and gives it their best. To come away with nothing and not finish a race for the second time this year feels devastating. I feel terrible for the team. I’m sorry for my part in Qualifying for putting myself in that position.”
The drama of the race was amplified by a fierce collision early on, as Piastri attempted a risky maneuver that resulted in a crash with Antonelli, sending Antonelli careening into Leclerc, causing catastrophic damage. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur weighed in on the incident, stating, “It was a tough weekend, especially on Sunday. I had the feeling that with Charles we were in a good place, and we are paying the full price of the crash between Antonelli and Piastri.” He emphasized that Leclerc was not to blame for the chaos, and noted that losing points in such critical moments can have dire consequences.
With only three races remaining in the season—Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi—Ferrari risks going winless for the first time since 2021 if neither Hamilton nor Leclerc can claim victory. Vasseur, while struggling to find positives, acknowledged the team’s pace in qualifying and the proactive mindset during the race. “We were fighting, looking at the front, not the guy behind us,” he said, though he admitted that the focus is now more on points than potential.
As the adrenaline-fueled saga of Formula 1 continues, all eyes will be on Hamilton and Ferrari as they attempt to turn around their fortunes at the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix from November 21-23. Will Hamilton rise from the ashes of this dismal outing, or will the nightmare continue? The tension is palpable, and the stakes have never been higher.








