F1 News: Ferrari 'Achilles' heel' exposed after big missed opportunity for Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari

Ferrari 'Achilles' heel' exposed after big missed opportunity for Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton now trails Antonelli by 101 points

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Wednesday 16 September 2026 20:45 Updated: 23:30

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Ferrari have the speed to compete for race wins, but former F1 champion Nico Rosberg claims the Scuderia still needs to overcome a long-term weakness after another missed opportunity for Lewis Hamilton in Madrid.

Hamilton was forced to retire early from the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday after a brake issue, suffering his third DNF as a Ferrari driver.

The result was another hammer blow to the 41-year-old superstar's already dwindling chances of winning another world championship this season, with the Brit now trailing Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli by 101 points in the drivers' standings.

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Throw in the fact Hamilton had earlier crashed in free practice on Saturday, it was a scruffy weekend all round.

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Nico Rosberg highlights major Ferrari weakness

Following the race in Madrid, Hamilton's former foe Rosberg appeared on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, on which he was quizzed by F1 commentator David Croft on whether 'messy' was a fair assessment of Ferrari's weekend.

In response, the 2016 world champion argued that it is often the case with the Scuderia, revealing what he thinks is their main Achilles' heel.

“Yeah, but isn't it the case that Ferrari always have messy weekends?” Rosberg argued.

“It's just that that Achilles' heel is still like in the strategy area, communication area.

"That's always been a weakness and still is a weakness of theirs now, because the pace of the car is not…it’s close."

Rosberg: Ferrari damn close to consistently challenging

Rosberg continued, reminding Croft that Ferrari had the speed for Hamilton to finish second at the Madring. However, he also admitted they need to make progress on putting together the full weekend.

“It’s damn close to being able to challenge consistently for race wins, and even now on this weekend, let's not forget Lewis would have been a comfortable second position in the race on Sunday," Rosberg added.