Ferrari Scrapes by, Hamilton “Demoralized.” Vasseur: “Unlucky”

Ferrari could not do better than Charles Leclerc’s fourth-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix. The Prancing Horse led for 33 laps with the Monegasque driver, but it wasn’t enough to secure a podium finish at the end of the race on the new track in Madrid. Lewis Hamilton, who retired early due to a mechanical issue with his car, made no secret of his disappointment.

“I feel demoralized,” said the seven-time world champion. “We’re all doing an incredible job, including the engineers back in Maranello who give their all for us every day. The car was great today; I felt like I was in the fight for the top two positions. I was unlucky to have this brake issue—it had a major impact, and I was forced to retire.”

Team principal Frederic Vasseur expressed his disappointment: “We were all expecting at least two Safety Cars, but it didn’t turn out that way. At least we gave it a shot, and our pace was very good. We were unlucky; with a second Safety Car, we would have been fighting for first place, but instead we had to settle for fourth.”

Leclerc commented on his fourth-place finish: “I could only hope for a miracle in the form of a Safety Car or a Virtual Safety Car, but it wasn’t to be. On top of that, it was a difficult race because, in terms of physical demands, our car is quite demanding—especially on a track like this… I had a very good stint on the hard compound. It wasn’t quite as good on the softs, which weren’t the best tires here. It’s not a balance issue; it’s something I’d rather not explain in detail. Our problem remains qualifying.”