Lewis Hamilton is now 101 points behind Kimi Antonelli after his retirement in Madrid. The Briton himself seems to no longer believe in the title.
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Mathematically, he still has a chance, but Lewis Hamilton seems to have already drawn a line under his hopes of winning an eighth world title in 2026. His retirement during the Spanish Grand Prix could have definitively ended a battle that had already seriously complicated over the past weeks.
Victim of an intermittent failure of his braking system, the Ferrari driver had to retire after only seven laps at the Madring. A first zero score this season which leaves him third in the championship, now 101 points behind Kimi Antonelli.
Madrid could have dealt the final blow
Hamilton’s race had however started promisingly. Fourth on the grid, the seven-time world champion had a great start before encountering a braking problem approaching turn 5.
His pedal suddenly sank further, preventing him from slowing down normally and pushing him off the track before slightly touching the barrier. Ferrari tried to solve the problem from the pit wall, but it quickly reappeared.
Fred Vasseur confirmed that the team did not want to take any risk with such a crucial safety element.
“The pedal was sinking too far. We tried to solve the problem from the pit wall, then it happened again a few corners later.”
Ferrari therefore called Hamilton back, ending his streak of 16 consecutive Grands Prix without retirement. Above all, the Briton was until then the only driver to have scored points in every round of the 2026 season.
From 32 to 101 points behind
The contrast with the situation at the beginning of summer is spectacular. After the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Hamilton finished third, only 32 points separated the Ferrari driver from Antonelli.
At that time, an eighth world title was still a perfectly achievable goal. But over the next five races, the gap increased by 69 points to now reach 101 points.
While Hamilton was gradually losing ground, Antonelli continued his impressive season. The Mercedes driver notably won in Belgium, Monza, and then Madrid, where he secured his eighth victory of the year.
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The momentum now seems extremely difficult to reverse. Hamilton must not only recover more than a hundred points on Antonelli but also surpass George Russell, second in the championship.
Hamilton no longer really believes in the scenario
A poll conducted by RacingNews365 after Madrid illustrates how much hopes surrounding Hamilton have diminished. Among those surveyed, 42.76% consider his retirement in Spain as the final blow to his title chances.
At the same time, 38.21% believe his chances had practically disappeared even before the Spanish Grand Prix. Only 19% of voters still think Hamilton can turn the situation around and become world champion for the eighth time.
Mathematically, the Briton is indeed still in the race. The exact number of Grands Prix left to compete could however depend on calendar changes, as the Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds are likely to be canceled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and a possible European race could conclude the season.
But Hamilton himself no longer seems to really look at the calculations.
“Nothing can stop Antonelli and Mercedes”
Asked about Antonelli’s current dominance, the Ferrari driver was particularly clear-sighted. Rather than publicly displaying his will to turn the situation around, he acknowledged the superiority of his former employer and his successor at Mercedes.
“Nothing can stop him, him and Mercedes, this year. I think they have done a phenomenal job and they deserve it.”
A particularly revealing statement given the championship situation. Hamilton does not officially announce that he is giving up all title ambitions, but his speech contrasts with that of a driver still convinced he can catch the leader.
The symbol is also striking: Antonelli is precisely the driver who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes when the Briton chose to join Ferrari. In his second season in Formula 1, the Italian now finds himself in a position to win the title while Hamilton sees his own hopes fade away.
More than 100 points behind the leader and with a Mercedes showing no signs of slowing down, Hamilton now seems to have to focus on wins and preparing for 2027. Madrid may not have mathematically ended his chances, but the seven-time world champion already seems to consider that the 2026 title is slipping away from him.
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