Hamilton concedes F1 title to Antonelli after Madrid DNF: 'There's no stopping him'
· Yahoo Sports
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that his 2026 F1 title bid is all but over after suffering a Lap 7 DNF at the Spanish GP. Lining up in fourth at the all-new Madring, Hamilton quickly encountered brake issues that left him out of the race, and now 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
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"I've got no brakes, guys," Hamilton told his race engineer Carlo Santi in Madrid, before being told to limp back to the garage after what had been a dramatic start to the race. The seven-time world champion was involved in a Lap 1 incident with long-time rival Max Verstappen, who was ordered by his Red Bull team to give a position back to Hamilton after cutting the chicane at Turn 2.
A furious Verstappen eventually did so on Lap 4, but almost immediately regained a position back from the Ferrari driver, who had already begun his descent down the pecking order.
Having been 32 points behind Antonelli two months ago after the British GP, Hamilton has been the closest non-Mercedes driver to challenge the 20-year-old this season. His former Silver Arrows teammate George Russell has cast a similarly bleak outlook on his own title bid against Antonelli - now 81 points behind the Italian.
Hamilton concedes F1 title to Antonelli after Madring brake issues
Photo: Race PicturesPhoto: Race Pictures
Speaking to Sky F1 shortly after his Spanish GP retirement, Hamilton was asked whether Antonelli was now "hard to stop." The 41-year-old replied: "I think there's no stopping him and Mercedes this year, they've done a phenomenal job and they deserve it."
Usually brief in his answers after a frustrating race, Hamilton went on to explain the issues he had been experiencing during his short stint in Madrid. He added: "I hit the brake, the car started stopping, and then the pedal took a step.
"The car didn't decelerate as fast as it normally [would], so I ended up carrying a lot of speed in. And then, yeah, brushed the barrier, and then after that pedal came back, it was fine, and then I think a few corners later on, the pedal went long. I don't really know what that's all about."
Hamilton nonetheless opted for positivity on Ferrari's performance during the Spanish GP weekend, in which his teammate Charles Leclerc finished P4. The Briton is hopeful of challenging for more wins in 2026 - Hamilton and Leclerc have scored one victory each this season, coming at Barcelona and Silverstone, respectively.
“I think we have a good [car]," Hamilton said. "We’ve had a pretty decent car, a good car this weekend and we will continue to try and improve it and we have better results coming in the future.”