Lewis Hamilton has drawn heavy criticism after ignoring repeated instructions from Ferrari to stop his damaged car during the Hamilton Madrid FP3 session at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix on the new Madring street circuit.
The seven-time world champion’s Saturday morning ended abruptly when he made contact with the wall at the final corner, picking up a front-right puncture and a broken front wing. Rather than pulling over immediately, Hamilton attempted to nurse the wounded Ferrari back towards the pit lane, scattering carbon debris across the racing line as he went.
Hamilton Madrid FP3 radio exchange with Carlo Santi
Race engineer Carlo Santi repeatedly urged his driver to stop in a safe place, and the exchange grew increasingly tense before Hamilton finally brought the car to a halt at the exit of Turn 14 — still short of the pit entry. The clean-up left marshals working the length of the circuit and prompted immediate speculation about a possible sanction from the stewards.
Fan reaction was swift and largely unforgiving. “Lewis, when you get told to stop the car, just stop the car,” one wrote on Reddit, while another posted: “Doing all that just to stop before the pits anyway is not Lewis’ proudest moment.” Others were more sympathetic, noting that a driver losing track time at a brand-new venue has every incentive to keep moving.
It is an unwelcome complication on a weekend Ferrari can ill afford to waste. The Scuderia have already shelved their latest engine upgrade for Charles Leclerc in Madrid, and Mercedes have looked the class of the field in practice with Kimi Antonelli extending his championship lead. For Hamilton, whose 2026 campaign has already featured a string of stewards’ visits, the timing could scarcely be worse with qualifying on the Madring’s unforgiving barriers to come.
Source: Motorsport.com
