Lewis Hamilton didn’t hold back and offered an unrepentant assessment after a challenging race at the 2025 Spanish GP, branding the event “the worst race I’ve experienced” in his Formula 1 career.
The seven-time world champion finished seventh on the road but was bumped up to sixth following a post-race penalty for Max Verstappen. Hamilton had made a promising start from fifth on the grid in Barcelona, overtaking George Russell into Turn 1.
However, his early momentum faded quickly as he struggled for pace on race day. On Lap 10, Ferrari instructed him to yield position to his teammate Charles Leclerc, who was lapping faster at the time. The strategy set Hamilton back in the order, and through the pit stop cycle he fell behind both Mercedes cars.
His fortunes worsened late in the race when Nico Hulkenberg passed him down the main straight in the penultimate lap. Hamilton ultimately benefited from Verstappen’s 10-second penalty — incurred after a collision with Russell — to finish sixth, but the Briton showed no signs of consolation.
When speaking to the press post-race, Hamilton offered short, blunt responses that underscored his frustration. When asked if he had been hampered by tyre wear, he replied: “Everyone was on the same tyres.” Asked to reflect on the performance and car issues, he simply said, “It’s the worst race I’ve experienced.” When prompted about what comes next, he responded: “Home.”
Leclerc earns podium in Barcelona despite weekend struggles
While Hamilton was despondent, Charles Leclerc had a far more rewarding Sunday. Starting seventh, the Monegasque driver delivered a quietly effective performance that paid off in the closing laps. He overtook Verstappen following the Lap 61 safety car restart and secured third place as others faltered, marking back-to-back podiums after his second-place finish in Monaco.
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Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Leclerc admitted he was caught off guard by the result: “It’s not like I’m over the moon for a second or third place. But it still feels good because coming to the weekend, I did not expect that.”
He revealed that Ferrari had opted to compromise qualifying performance to improve their race pace, a tactic that ultimately paid off.
“I knew I had sacrificed quality yesterday in order to be strong in the race today, and it seems to pay off with a little bit of luck,” Leclerc explained. “But I’m not happy about our overall performance. On that, we need to do a step soon.”
With 94 points, Leclerc remains fifth in the standings, now 23 points ahead of sixth-placed Hamilton as the F1 calendar heads to the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix.
