Lewis Hamilton draws ‘impressed rather than reckless’ claim after Spanish GP

Lewis Hamilton briefly drove on at the Spanish Grand Prix as he battled a brake failure, Ferrari attempting a live fix in the process.

Rather than finding this a “reckless” action from the seven-time world champion and his team, David Coulthard was instead “impressed” as he believes it demonstrates that hunger within remains.

Lewis Hamilton fire still burns, says David Coulthard

The Ferrari driver began reporting that he was losing the brakes during the early stages of the Spanish Grand Prix, the first to take place at the new Madring.

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur revealed that the team had tried to resolve the problem from its end, but Hamilton soon began sinking down the order, collecting track limits violations as he struggled to slow the SF-26 down.

As the issue persisted, and with safety in mind, Ferrari retired their driver from the race.

Appearing on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard, a 13-time grand prix winner, explained how the brake pedal is a driver’s “lifeline” to “balance” a car.

But Hamilton’s efforts to drive on “impressed” his fellow Brit, rather than made him feel uneasy.

“I’ve read through his quote afterwards, and he explained when he was hitting the brake pedal, initial pressure was there, initial retardation was there, and then there was a step change in the pedal,” said Coulthard.

“So the primary braking force is an electronic thing. So if that software has a glitch, it’s like your phone sometimes freezes or your computer.

“It doesn’t mean it’s broken, it just goes, ‘I’m not moving from this page,’ and you have to switch it off and switch it back on. Then that would give him that perception, and then it changes everything.

“The pedal feel on the brakes is so important, more important actually than the throttle feel. So the feel of the throttle is not the issue; it’s the torque that you get when you accelerate. But the brake pedal is your lifeline to balance the car.

“So I was actually amazed he stayed out as long as he did with that issue. But again, I was impressed with that. Rather than think it’s reckless – because he’s one of the best drivers in the world – that shows hunger. That shows a guy that doesn’t want to give up.

“Because a bit like when you see boxers that have been around for a little while, and you feel it’s maybe a payday, they go down and then you look up from the canvas and you go, ‘Yeah, they are not fighting that count because they don’t need the punishment. They know they’re going to lose the fight, so just stay down.’

“Whereas you see a young, hungry fighter, their eyes and the birds are flying above their head, they’re up looking for the their opponent. You know they’re knocked out on their feet, but somehow they just won’t give up. Lewis still has that.”

More on Lewis Hamilton from PlanetF1.com

The Hamilton delusion: How Lewis set himself up for more disappointment at Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton denies Ferrari team changes call as rumours swirl

The Spanish GP was a major, and potentially final blow to Hamilton’s hopes of winning that record eighth title in F1 2026.

He is now 101 points behind P1 Kimi Antonelli.

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