The seven-time world champion endured a torrid race, suffering contact with Williams’ Carlos Sainz on the opening lap before clipping Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, damaging his front wing and floor.
After serving a five-second penalty for the Colapinto incident, Hamilton was forced to retire on Lap 38 and was later handed a penalty point on his licence.
“This is a nightmare, I’ve been living it for a while,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of results that we’ve had, the ups and downs – it’s challenging.”
Hamilton’s struggles in Brazil compounded a difficult first season at Maranello, with the Briton still searching for his first Ferrari podium after 21 races.
LAP 42/71
Lewis is back in the garage 😖
Floor damage sustained earlier in the race has brought Hamilton’s race to an end ❌#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/A309Ux5KU2
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 9, 2025
The weekend also saw teammate Charles Leclerc retire, leaving Ferrari fourth in the constructors’ championship behind Mercedes and Red Bull.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok acknowledged Hamilton’s frustration but noted progress since the summer break.
“He’s been a match for Leclerc all the way through,” he said.
“He got the penalty in Mexico, which annoyed him. This weekend just didn’t quite work out for him in qualifying. They both were struggling on Friday in sprint qualifying. Hopefully it’s just a one-off because his form until this weekend has been a match for Charles.”
Despite the ongoing difficulties, Hamilton remains determined to rebound in the final rounds of the season.
“Tomorrow, I’ll get back up. I’ll keep training, I’ll keep working with the team,” he said.
“I really wanted to get them good points this weekend, but I’ll come back as hard and as strong as I can at the next race and try to recover.”
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