Lewis Hamilton’s ordeal continues with brake failure at Formula 1’s Spanish GP

Madrid (AP) — Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton endured another challenging race weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. A brake failure struck the Mercedes driver seven laps into Sunday's event, leading to a retirement. This setback followed an early clash with teammate Charles Leclerc during the Italian Grand Prix, which had already strained their relationship.

The incident dropped Hamilton 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonio. Hamilton attributed the failure to a sudden loss of deceleration, describing it as "the pedal took a step and all of a sudden the car didn’t de-accelerate as fast as normal." The team, he added, had performed well, which made the loss particularly disappointing.

Despite starting the weekend on the heels of strong performances from Ferrari, Hamilton had struggled throughout. His initial practice session on Friday saw him finish fourth, while the second session placed him third. However, a crash during the final practice session on Saturday prevented him from securing a clean lap in qualifying, leading him to start the race from fourth position on the grid.

Hamilton's inconsistency has been a recurring theme this season, with his last podium finish coming at the British Grand Prix. Prior to Madrid, he had secured victories in Barcelona, Barcelona, Monaco, and Canada. Both Hamilton and Leclerc acknowledged that discussions had taken place regarding the Monza incident, with Leclerc ultimately accepting responsibility for the mishap that had cost Hamilton dearly.