Ferrari launches investigation after Lewis Hamilton Spanish GP DNF
Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire his Ferrari from the Spanish Grand Prix
A Ferrari investigation into the SF-26 driven by Lewis Hamilton is underway, after he was forced to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix.
Ferrari has already uncovered some early indications of the cause of Hamilton’s DNF, with the seven-time world champion having suffered from a long brake pedal that forced him to retire from the Madring race.
Ferrari early findings from Lewis Hamilton SF-26 investigation
Hamilton went side-by-side with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen into Turn 1, as Verstappen took to the run-off.
Red Bull later asked the Dutchman to give the position back to Hamilton, after the FIA stewards noted he left the track and gained an advantage. That became a complicated task as not only had Verstappen passed Kimi Antonelli, but Hamilton’s brakes were beginning to fail.
Verstappen did let Hamilton through, but quickly re-passed him as Hamilton’s issues worsened. The Briton was eventually passed by the majority of the pack before being called in to retire his Ferrari.
After the race, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur had been asked whether Hamilton’s issues stemmed from that moment with Verstappen into Turn 1.
“Honestly, I don’t know, because they were working on the car when I left,” he replied to PlanetF1.com and others.
Vasseur confirmed that Hamilton was suffering with a long brake pedal. Ferrari had attempted to resolve it.
Unsuccessful, the team decided to pull Hamilton from the race. Hamilton had been collecting track limit violations as he fought to keep his SF-26 on the road.
“The pedal was long. We tried to fix it from the pit wall, and then it happened again a couple of corners later,” Vasseur confirmed.
Vasseur admitted that to stay on track “made no sense” for Hamilton at this stage due to the high level of risk involved.
Following on from Vasseur’s statement that work was underway on Hamilton’s Ferrari, new information has emerged from the team’s investigation.
Investigation ongoing at Ferrari as to what failed on Lewis Hamilton’s car in Madrid, but early indications are that it was not the primary braking system, but ancillaries within, distinct from the mechanisms themselves. #F1
— Thomas Maher (@thomasmaheronf1) September 15, 2026
PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher writes: “Investigation ongoing at Ferrari as to what failed on Lewis Hamilton’s car in Madrid, but early indications are that it was not the primary braking system, but ancillaries within, distinct from the mechanisms themselves.”
Hamilton suffered a crash in the third and final practice session at the Madring. He attempted to drive his Ferrari back to the pit lane, with the front wing underneath the car and a punctured front-right tyre, before eventually stopping at the side of the track.
After multiple requests from race engineer Carlo Santi to stop the car, Hamilton was told that it was a formal request from the FIA race director, and finally stopped.
Hamilton’s FP3 crash, and his brake issue on Sunday, do not appear to be connected.
“It’s understood the issue is not related to the hasty rebuild on Saturday, with the issue on Sunday being related to the rear braking system,” Thomas adds.
Hamilton now trails F1 2026 Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 101 points, following his DNF in Madrid.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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