Ferrari reveal true extent of Lewis Hamilton's race-ending damage

Ferrari have revealed the extent of the race-ending damage Lewis Hamilton sustained on the opening lap of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion had a wretched race in Brazil after being hit by Williams driver Carlos Sainz on the first lap, before tagging Alpine’s Franco Colapinto on the start of lap two.

Hamilton broke his front wing in the contact with Colapinto, which earned him a five-second time penalty, and was left with significant damage to the floor of his SF-25.

After serving his penalty, Ferrari called Hamilton in to retire from last position on Lap 39, completing a miserable day for the team with Charles Leclerc also retiring after being wiped out in a three-way collision with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

“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. We serve the penalty and we stop the car,” Vasseur told media in Brazil.

Vasseur said Ferrari were unsure which incident ultimately led to the damage.

“We still don’t know if it was from the crash of Sainz or from the crash of the front wing under the floor, but perhaps both of them,” the Frenchman added.

Hamilton’s ‘nightmare’ first season with Ferrari

After the race, Hamilton admitted his first season with Ferrari had been “a nightmare”.

The 40-year-old Briton is yet to finish on the podium for Ferrari and has been comprehensively outclassed by teammate Leclerc.

Hamilton lies sixth in the drivers’ championship, with the only shining light of a torrid campaign being a dominant sprint victory at the Chinese Grand Prix back in March.

Otherwise, it has been a season to forget for Hamilton and Ferrari, who are winless heading into the final three rounds of 2025.

"This is a nightmare, and I have been living it for a while,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

“The flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and the nightmare of the results we have had, the ups and downs, it's challenging.”

Speaking to Viaplay in a separate interview, Hamilton added: "It would be wrong to say that there are no positives at all.

"If you look at Charles' performance in qualifying, it shows that the car does have some pace in it.

"But we are just really having to fight through those 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."