Sunday, 13 September 2026
LEWIS HAMILTON HANDED F1 TITLE BLOW WITH SPANISH GP EXIT
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| Credit: F1C |
Lewis Hamilton has been forced to retire from the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid following a brake issue, denting his narrow World Championship hopes.
Five laps into the race, the Ferrari driver complained to over team radio that he felt his brake pedal going long shortly after Max Verstappen let him pass to take third place.
Unable to accelerate for fear of not being able to slow the car, Hamilton was subsequently overtaken by his teammate, and then by the other cars on the grid, slipping down to last place.
HAMILTON OUT!
Brake failure sends the #Ferrari driver into an early retirement#F1 #Hamilton #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/w6EyxMzJLX
— Motorsport Week (@MotorsportWeek) September 13, 2026
The Briton was able to limp into the pits on Lap 7, marking the end of his race.
This followed a lap 1 scuffle between Hamilton and Verstappen, which saw the two nearly make contact as the Red Bull was forced off track. As a result, Verstappen went ahead of Hamilton and then overtook Kimi Antonelli, but was forced to concede two positions after the team ordered him to Hamilton the position back.
- Eleanor Cooper
F3: UGOCHUKWU IS CROWNED 2026 CHAMPION AS TAPONEN EARNS MAIDEN WIN
Ugo Ugochukwu claimed the Formula 3 title in the final race of the season as Tuukka Taponen became an F3 winner for the first time in the Madrid Feature Race 2.
Ugo Ugochukwu has won the F3 Drivers’ Championship, taking the title in the final race of the season in Madrid to beat Freddie Slater to the crown.
Ugochukwu finished P2 on the road to become the first F3 Champion from the United States, while Tuukka Taponen became the first Finnish driver to win an F3 race as he secured top spot in Feature Race 2 on Sunday.
From there, the MP Motorsport driver controlled the gap to Ugochukwu behind, with the Campos Racing car staying within touching distance and DRS range throughout.
A late-race Safety Car set up a final lap sprint to the finish, but Taponen remained calm and collected to take his first F3 victory in the final race of the 2026 season.
The result means Ugochukwu is the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Drivers' Champion, finishing on 159 points. Slater winds up second in the standings on 145 points. Taponen's win lifts the Finn up to third in the Championship.
Entering the day level on points with Slater and starting from P2, the Campos driver kept himself out of trouble to earn a podium to complete a turnaround, having trailed the Briton in the points coming into this weekend.
Pedro Clerot was on the podium once again in Madrid after taking his first F3 victory in Feature Race 1 on Saturday, rounding out the rostrum in third position for Rodin Motorsport.
Slater, the TRIDENT and Audi Development Driver, finished where he started in eighth position, leaving him second in the points after a season-long battle.
For an in-depth report of the final FIA Formula 3 Feature Race of 2026, head to the official website here.
- Formula 1
Saturday, 12 September 2026
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