Lewis Hamilton omitted as Ferrari discovers one Brazilian GP silver lining

Despite a double DNF in Brazil, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says there are positives that the team can take away from a difficult weekend.

Every one of them, though, relates to Charles Leclerc’s performance as, “at least from Charles’ side”, there was a good pace. Lewis Hamilton didn’t get a mention when it came to the weekend’s positives.

Ferrari double DNF, but ‘at least’ one driver showed pace

⦁ Team boss declares “at least” one side of the garage had pace
⦁ Vasseur reveals extent of Hamilton’s floor damage
⦁ Hamilton’s deficit to Leclerc hurting Ferrari in the standings

Ferrari recorded its third non-score of this season at the Brazilian Grand Prix with Leclerc and Hamilton retiring with crash damage to their SF-25s.

Leclerc was one of the first to retire from the grand prix when he fell victim to Oscar Piastri’s attempted pass on Kimi Antonelli.

The two made contact and Leclerc paid for it as he was hit by Antonelli’s wheel, wrenching the front tyre off the Ferrari’s wheel and damaging the suspension.

Leclerc had been running third at the time of his retirement.

Unfortunately for Ferrari, he was the first of the team’s two retirements as Hamilton was involved in an early collision with Franco Colapinto that left his Ferrari without a front wing.

The Briton had lined up 13th on the grid but lost positions at the start, falling to 17th. Trying to recover, he tangled with Colapinto and the stewards put the blame on Hamilton, who was given a five-second penalty.

He served that before retiring his Ferrari with floor damage.

It marked the third time this season that Ferrari has walked away from a grand prix without a single point as the team had previously recorded a double DSQ in China and a double retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix.

But despite the disappointing result, Ferrari team principal Vasseur was able to find a positive point or two, “at least from Charles’ side”.

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“Unfortunately, with Charles we were the victims of contact between other cars, and it was quite a hard one for him,” said Vasseur as per scuderiafans after the race. “He had a good start and was in the right position, but the collision was a very heavy hit.

“I think we had good pace today, we were in the fight and not too far off the others. The start of the race had been very promising.

“I can’t complain about the pace this weekend, at least from Charles’ side. He did an excellent job.

“Unfortunately, we paid the price for the incident between Antonelli and Piastri.”

Pressed on what positives, if any, Ferrari could take from such a difficult weekend, Vasseur added: “Our P3 in qualifying and Charles’ good start. That’s what we’ll build on as we move forward.”

Vasseur, however, did concede that Hamilton’s pace was severely hurt by the damage to his car.

“When you are last and you are missing 35 points or 40 points on downforce on the car, I’m not sure that it makes sense to damage the engine,” he said as per Motorsport Week. “We serve the penalty and we stop the car.”

Lewis Hamilton’s belief v Ferrari’s patience?

Vasseur’s “at least” comment comes at a time when rumours are swirling about Hamilton’s future with Ferrari.

Having joined the team at the beginning of this season on a multi-year contract, Hamilton will be around in 2026 and his performances in the new era could be the deciding factor in whether or not the 40-year-old triggers an extension clause to continue racing for the Scuderia in 2027.

Today the Briton insists he still believes in the Ferrari project.

Speaking to Viaplay after his retirement on Sunday, Hamilton said: “We are just really having to fight through hardships at the moment.

“I have to believe that these hardships lead to… I believe there is something extraordinary up ahead in my life and in my destiny.

“I truly still believe in this team and what we can achieve together. I just have to keep pushing and keep giving them everything I can.”

However, even in the face of that belief, Ferrari’s patience with its mega-millions signing could be wearing thin if one wants to read something into Vasseur’s “at least” comment.

The team has fallen to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing McLaren, Red Bull and now Mercedes as well. In the battle that decides the season’s prize money, Hamilton’s 66-point deficit to Leclerc is weighing heavy.

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