Leclerc fourth, Hamilton retires with brake problem at Spanish Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc brought his Ferrari home fourth at the Spanish Grand Prix, while teammate Lewis Hamilton retired on lap five with a braking-system problem, his first non-finish of the season.
- 4th
- Lap 5
- 48
- almost 50 laps
What Happened
Scuderia Ferrari HP left the Spanish Grand Prix and the new Madring circuit with a fourth-place finish for Charles Leclerc, while Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire on lap five because of a problem with the braking system. The result was largely determined by the starting positions set in yesterday's qualifying, and the team tried everything it could strategically, splitting the tyre choices between its two cars to create different opportunities to make up places. Hamilton started fourth on Soft tyres and got off the line well, initially passing Max Verstappen before the Dutchman regained the position by cutting the chicane. On lap three the Red Bull driver had to hand the position back to Hamilton, but shortly afterwards Hamilton hit the braking problem and retired.
- Started fifth on Hard tyres; moved up to fourth after his teammate retired, led during the leaders' stops, pitted for Softs on lap 48 and finished fourth
- Started fourth on Soft tyres; retired on lap five with a braking-system problem, his first non-finish of the season
- The team split its tyre choices between the two cars to create different opportunities to make up places.
- Leclerc moved into the lead when the drivers ahead of him — Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen and Lando Norris — pitted for Hard tyres, taking advantage of the Virtual Safety Car triggered when Lance Stroll stopped on track.
- Because the drivers ahead had already stopped, the team kept Leclerc out on the Hards to exploit any neutralisation later in the race.
- A red flag would have allowed him to change tyres while retaining his track position, while a Virtual Safety Car would have significantly reduced the time lost in a pit stop and allowed him to make up a place.
- Neither scenario occurred, so Leclerc pitted for Softs on lap 48 and rejoined fourth behind Antonelli, Verstappen and Norris — the order in which they took the chequered flag.
“The race was good and we brought home what was realistically the best result possible, given that this track is so difficult to overtake on. We did a good job with the strategy, playing our cards to suit our situation. We decided to take our chance and wait for a Safety Car to come up before the end of the race to gain an advantage, but it didn't play out that way in the end. If we had been on the opposite strategy, I would have finished fourth as well, so either way, we extracted the most we could out of our race.”
“Firstly, a big thank you to the team for the job they did throughout the weekend. We were in a position to fight for a strong result and the car had been performing well. Unfortunately, we encountered an issue with the braking system very quickly into the race which brought our afternoon to an early end. It's disappointing, especially considering all the effort that went into the weekend both here at the track and back at the factory. We will turn our attention to the next race and do our best to come back strong there.”
“Like a few other teams, we split the strategy today, starting one car on the Soft compound and the other on the Hard. With Charles, we were leading the group that started on the Hard tyre and he drove a very strong first stint, pushing for almost 50 laps while maintaining good pace throughout. We knew there was a reasonable chance of a Safety Car or a red flag, so we decided to extend the stint and keep that opportunity open. A red flag could have put us in a position to fight for the win, while a late Safety Car could have given us a shot at third. In the end neither happened, but I think it was absolutely worth trying and Charles delivered a very solid performance. As for Lewis, at this stage we don't yet know the exact cause of the brake system issue that forced him to retire and we will investigate it thoroughly. Regarding the championship, our approach remains the same: we take it one race at a time, and our focus now turns to Baku.”
Formula 1 now has a race-free weekend before the World Championship resumes in two weeks' time with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku street circuit. Leclerc said the team would take a break and reset ahead of the next round at a track he has always enjoyed racing on in the past. Vasseur said Ferrari's approach to the championship remains the same, taking it one race at a time, with the team's focus now turning to Baku.
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
Ferrari came into the Spanish Grand Prix weekend with both cars in the top four in practice at the new Madring circuit: Leclerc was second and Hamilton third in second practice, having finished third and fourth in opening practice, with 54 laps completed between them in the first session. Leclerc had also declared himself fully fit for the Madrid Grand Prix after a Monza accident, saying he had cleared the air with Hamilton over their Monza clash.
- Leclerc second, Hamilton third for Ferrari in Spanish Grand Prix second practice
- Ferrari takes third and fourth in Spanish Grand Prix opening practice at new Madring circuit
- Leclerc declares himself fully fit for Madrid Grand Prix after Monza accident
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Ferrari leaves the new Madring circuit with only one car classified, so it takes a reduced points haul into the championship's two-week break. Hamilton's retirement is his first of the season, and the team says it does not yet know the exact cause of the brake issue and will investigate it thoroughly.
Terms in This Story
- Virtual Safety Car
- A race-control procedure in which drivers must slow to a set speed while a hazard on track is dealt with, without a full safety car being deployed.
- red flag
- A signal that stops a race or session, with cars returning to the pits until conditions allow it to restart.
- chicane
- A series of tight, alternating corners added to a track to slow cars down.
- stint
- A continuous run of laps by a driver between pit stops.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.