Overview
- Lewis Hamilton retired around halfway in São Paulo with suspected floor damage after early contact with Carlos Sainz and a separate clash that broke his front wing and earned a five‑second penalty.
- He told Sky Sports F1 the season is a “nightmare” and said he has “been living it for a while” after a weekend that included P7 in the sprint and a Q2 exit in qualifying.
- Hamilton sits sixth in the Drivers’ Championship without a grand prix podium and trails Ferrari team‑mate Charles Leclerc by about 66 points.
- Leclerc qualified third but retired on lap six following first‑corner contact in a multi‑car squeeze, and Ferrari have slipped to fourth in the constructors’ standings.
- Pundits noted improved form since the summer but highlighted costly penalties and incidents, with former driver Johnny Herbert calling Hamilton’s struggles “horrible to watch,” echoing pre‑move warnings that Ferrari would back Leclerc.