'There's no stopping Antonelli' - Hamilton says 2026 F1 title bid is over — SkimNews
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- Lewis Hamilton said "there's no stopping" Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes in 2026, falling 101 points behind the championship leader after retiring from the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
- Kimi Antonelli claimed his eighth victory of the season at the new Madring circuit, leapfrogging Lando Norris when a virtual safety car wiped out McLaren's lead.
- Hamilton described a brake-pedal failure on his Ferrari, saying the pedal "took a step" and the car failed to decelerate as he approached Turn Five, contributing to a brush with the barrier before he retired.
- Antonelli leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 81 points in the standings, while Norris sits a further five points behind Hamilton in fourth.
- Max Verstappen was advised by Red Bull to drop from second back to fourth to avoid a penalty after cutting the first chicane, letting Hamilton through into third before his retirement.
- Antonelli, 20 and in only his second F1 campaign, insisted he is "not thinking" about a maiden title and will instead "keep pushing race by race."
Why it matters: Hamilton's concession effectively ends the suspense of a record eighth title bid, with 101 points and just a triple-header of races separating him from Antonelli. A 20-year-old in only his second season now sits on the brink of becoming the youngest champion in recent F1 memory.
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