Lewis Hamilton could have entirely avoided his high-speed spin when the rain returned in the latter stages of the Brazilian Grand Prix, as RaceFans reports. His Ferrari team summoned him into the pits before he began the lap, with Liam Lawson immediately in front of him pitting while Hamilton stayed out. Unfortunately, the conditions had deteriorated rapidly and he spun on his next lap.
Things had started quite differently for Hamilton, who made a strong start to the race from 20th and briefly ran as high as ninth. But Max Verstappen overtook him, and Ferrari then told him to let Oliver Bearman past. Ferrari made this call because Hamilton went off the track when he passed Bearman on the first lap, however the stewards later ruled Hamilton had not gained an advantage by doing this.
As the track dried out, Hamilton repeatedly urged his team to change his intermediate tyres for slicks. On lap 19 he told Ferrari he wanted to pit on the next lap and they duly brought him in. Hamilton’s switch to slicks proved perfectly-timed, though he found it difficult to gain places on the track. Ferrari decided Hamilton would not be able to make it to the end of the race without a fresh set of slick tyres and brought him in for an early change. However this confused Hamilton as he rejoined the track a lap behind race leader Lando Norris.
It is unusual to see a driver un-lap themselves in Formula 1. This is partly because the blue flag rules are so strict that as soon as a lapped car passes the leader they are immediately given warnings to let them through again if they do not quickly pull over a second clear. Hamilton managed to do this and drew away from Norris. At this stage in the race Ferrari hoped Hamilton could recover a top six finish.
With 17 laps remaining, the rain returned. Hamilton closed on Lawson and the pair approached the pit lane entrance together on lap 61. Lawson peeled in but Hamilton appeared to get the call to come in fractionally too late. He struggled around the rest of the lap as the rain fell, running wide at Ferradura. Then he had a high-speed spin as he approached the pit lane entrance again. This time he made it in, but his race was ruined. Hamilton took the chequered flag in ninth place, a lap down.
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