Lewis Hamilton Defended Amid Rising Ferrari Challenges: ‘Not His Reason to Join’

Lewis Hamilton endures a bruising weekend at the São Paulo Grand Prix in his debut Ferrari season, qualifying 13th and retiring after contact, heightening pressure before Las Vegas and Qatar.

Contact with Franco Colapinto at the start damages Hamilton’s front wing and floor. Ferrari initially persists, but the substantial floor loss forces retirement.

The sprint format exposes Ferrari’s weaknesses. A compromised qualifying leaves Hamilton mired in traffic, raising lap-one jeopardy and limiting strategy flexibility on a tyre-deg sensitive Sunday.

Hamilton calls the season a “nightmare,” reflecting expectations unmet and the reality of midfield combat. Body language post-race underlines frustration more than any radio message.

Jamie Chadwick defends Hamilton, arguing the current midfield picture was never the brief. Interlagos history and his honorary Brazilian citizenship sharpen the contrast with today’s outcomes.

Form trends before Brazil are kinder. Since the summer break, Hamilton often runs closer to Charles Leclerc, with Mexico City pace undone by a 10‑second penalty.

Karun Chandhok highlights that race-by-race, Hamilton has matched Leclerc’s speed when execution is clean. That suggests underlying performance exists, even if the scoreboard hides it.

São Paulo breaks that trajectory. Sprint qualifying setbacks, a narrow setup window, and traffic-exposed weaknesses combine, leaving Ferrari chasing balance and track position all weekend.

Leclerc’s race unravels too after contact involving Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli, compounding Ferrari’s points deficit and masking any incremental gains in car understanding.

Against that, Max Verstappen delivers another forceful recovery, underscoring Red Bull’s adaptability. The contrast sharpens scrutiny on Ferrari’s execution and Hamilton’s ability to mitigate chaos.

Standings deepen the urgency. Hamilton sits sixth on 148 points in the championship standings, with Leclerc on 214. Ferrari totals 362, fourth behind McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull.

The deficit is not solely about peak speed. Operational sharpness, race starts, and damage limitation when events turn messy are the repeat weaknesses holding Ferrari back.

Las Vegas on November 23 and Qatar on November 30 arrive quickly. Street surface evolution and differing downforce demands will test Ferrari’s baseline and correlation.

For Hamilton, cleaner Saturdays are paramount. Better grid position reduces lap-one jeopardy, opens strategy options, and converts underlying pace into points.

If Ferrari stabilises the car and tidies operations, podiums remain realistic. If not, rivals with stronger execution will continue to dictate the narrative to season’s end.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.