Lewis Hamilton told what he must do next by Jolyon Palmer after ‘miserable’ Brazilian Grand Prix

Follow us on Google Discover

Lewis Hamilton scored no points for the fourth time with Ferrari in 2025 at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

It was a torrid weekend from the start for the seven-time champion as Ferrari lacked pace at the Interlagos circuit. While Charles Leclerc was able to put his SF-25 into top positions, Hamilton struggled immensely.

The 40-year-old was knocked out in SQ2 and finished seventh in the Sprint before Hamilton was again knocked out before Q3 for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday. He lined up P13, while Leclerc managed to put his Ferrari third.

Hamilton had an awful start as he dropped to last after contact with Carlos Sainz. At the end of the final lap, he collided with Franco Colapinto and lost his front wing, which wedged under his car and caused floor damage.

With a loss of downforce and Hamilton believing the suspension was broken, he was not left with much of a fighting chance. He eventually retired from the race on lap 40, but not before the stewards gave Hamilton a five-second penalty for his collision with Colapinto.

Jolyon Palmer says Lewis Hamilton needs a ‘complete reset’ after ‘miserable’ Brazilian Grand Prix

The Brit’s penalty summed up a ‘miserable’ afternoon where Ferrari scored no points, after Leclerc was caught up in a collision with Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli and was forced to retire. Jolyon Palmer feels Hamilton needs a ‘complete reset’ after his race in Sao Paulo.

“From the way he got on the radio under the safety car and said, ‘This thing feels loose’. You think when he gets to racing speed, he’s going to be nowhere,” said Palmer via F1 TV’s post-race show.

“So when we saw Max then sitting behind him, Lewis was nearly spinning it through Ferradura, the quick righthander. So in that position, racing is miserable. You’re trying to hang on.

“You want to do the admirable thing and continue. But you know that, actually, this is pointless. I’m too slow, I’m missing downforce, it’s not a fair fight and they parked it up.

“The problem is why he had the damage because he had the contact at the first turn. Did he need to come across the front of Sainz? It’s a tricky, racing incident certainly, but that put him back a little bit. And then he drove into the back of Colapinto.

“He also qualified badly. So, in the end, the Ferrari car was mangled, wasn’t it? But already the race was gone bad from 13th on the grid, yesterday was bad. It’s been a terrible weekend.

“He needs to reset. He was good in Vegas last year. He needs to just have a complete reset.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Will things improve for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in 2026?

With three races to go, Ferrari are in the hunt for P2 in the constructors’ championship. However, their pointless result in Sao Paulo has seen Red Bull leapfrog them for third in the standings.

36 points separate Mercedes and Ferrari heading into the Las Vegas GP, with there being plenty of opportunities to secure the runner-up spot. However, Ferrari fans just want to ‘end the season’ – 2025 has not gone to plan, given all the hype that surrounded Leclerc and Hamilton.

Ferrari are now looking ahead to 2026 and the new technical regulations, where Hamilton is hoping to see improvements from the team. With the pecking order set to shake up, it could be his last chance to claim his eighth championship.

Hamilton says Ferrari’s engine work is ‘pretty impressive’ ahead of 2026. Things seem encouraging within the team for next season, but whether they can deliver results is another question.