Hamilton says São Paulo GP ending left him devastated

Lewis Hamilton said he was devastated by the way his São Paulo Grand Prix ended. He started 20th after taking a fresh power unit, climbed to ninth on the opening lap, then spun in the rain before finishing ninth in his 400th Grand Prix.

By lap three, Max Verstappen had passed him and Hamilton had slipped out of the points. Hamilton was the first driver to switch to slicks, on lap 15, climbing back to ninth. When rain returned late in the race, he missed the pit entry and had to stay out another lap. He spun on the climb to the pits, struck the barrier with his rear wing and crawled in for intermediates.

In an Instagram post after the race, Hamilton said tyre struggles and substantial oversteer had made the conditions difficult. He said he had pushed as hard as he could, but the team had lacked pace over the weekend. He and the team would work to understand why before the next race, he said. He also thanked the Ferrari team for its work on the car and the Brazilian crowd for its support.