Hamilton says rear-tyre problems left him struggling in São Paulo

After starting 20th following multiple power-unit penalties, Lewis Hamilton climbed to ninth by the end of the first lap at Interlagos. He said the rear tyres on his first stint “ballooned and overheated”, leaving him struggling. Hamilton finished ninth, a lap down on race winner Lando Norris.

After the race, Hamilton called it a tough weekend for the whole team but praised its work changing the engine and making the car as strong as possible. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said, “We struggled in the dry, but I had a great start.” After opening on intermediates in the wet, he said he pushed for an early switch to soft slicks and felt good on them. An extra stop, he added, left him with ground to make up.

Late in the race, Hamilton said his last message was that drizzle would continue and that he had not heard rain was heavier in the first sector. He passed the pit lane, found Turn 1 wet and said this cost him a couple of places. On his second set of softs, he spun uphill while preparing to pit for intermediates, brushing a barrier with his rear wing as he tried to control the slide.

With three rounds remaining, Hamilton said he was unsure what to expect from Ferrari’s pace in the coming races, despite saying the team had had a good car in earlier races. He added that Ferrari deserved a better São Paulo result and would try to fight harder at the next race.