Overview
- Hamilton retired on lap seven of the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday after his SF-26 suffered an intermittent brake-by-wire fault that made the pedal go long and forced him to stop the car.
- Ferrari has opened a formal investigation into the failure and is examining the brake-by-wire hydraulics and a related secondary component, but the team has not yet identified a definitive cause.
- The retirement ended Hamilton's run of scoring points this season and left him 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, effectively removing him from realistic title contention.
- Less than 48 hours after the DNF, Hamilton returned to track for a Pirelli tyre test at Imola driving the Ferrari SF-26 as the team works through short-term repairs and data-gathering.
- Italian media and paddock reports say Hamilton has asked for changes to on-track personnel and that team principal Fred Vasseur is under heavy pressure as Ferrari shifts attention to fixing reliability and planning its 2027 development while Antonelli consolidates his lead.