Hamilton concedes F1 title to Antonelli after Madrid DNF: 'There's no stopping him'

"I've got no brakes, guys," Hamilton told his race engineer Carlo Santi in Madrid, before being told to limp back to the garage after what had been a dramatic start to the race. The seven-time world champion was involved in a Lap 1 incident with long-time rival Max Verstappen, who was ordered by his Red Bull team to give a position back to Hamilton after cutting the chicane at Turn 2.

A furious Verstappen eventually did so on Lap 4, but almost immediately regained a position back from the Ferrari driver, who had already begun his descent down the pecking order.

Having been 32 points behind Antonelli two months ago after the British GP, Hamilton has been the closest non-Mercedes driver to challenge the 20-year-old this season. His former Silver Arrows teammate George Russell has cast a similarly bleak outlook on his own title bid against Antonelli - now 81 points behind the Italian.

Speaking to Sky F1 shortly after his Spanish GP retirement, Hamilton was asked whether Antonelli was now "hard to stop." The 41-year-old replied: "I think there's no stopping him and Mercedes this year, they've done a phenomenal job and they deserve it."

Usually brief in his answers after a frustrating race, Hamilton went on to explain the issues he had been experiencing during his short stint in Madrid. He added: "I hit the brake, the car started stopping, and then the pedal took a step.

Hamilton nonetheless opted for positivity on Ferrari's performance during the Spanish GP weekend, in which his teammate Charles Leclerc finished P4. The Briton is hopeful of challenging for more wins in 2026 - Hamilton and Leclerc have scored one victory each this season, coming at Barcelona and Silverstone, respectively.

“I think we have a good [car]," Hamilton said. "We’ve had a pretty decent car, a good car this weekend and we will continue to try and improve it and we have better results coming in the future.”