Lewis Hamilton’s fading hope of a record eighth world championship suffered a potentially fatal blow after he retired from the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton started fourth and was briefly up to third following a first-corner clash with his one-time rival Max Verstappen at the Madring.
Verstappen accused Hamilton of arriving for the opening chicane “out of control” and said he was forced to take to the escape road to avoid a collision with the Ferrari driver.
Despite his protests, Verstappen was told by Red Bull to surrender two places from second to Kimi Antonelli and then Hamilton to avoid a probable penalty from the stewards.
But just moments later, Hamilton reported a brake problem.
“I don’t have brakes, guys,” he said from within his Ferrari cockpit. “I can barely stop the car.”
Hamilton fell back through the field as he wrestled with his failing Ferrari before toiling back to the pits at the end of the sixth lap to retire from the race.
Hamilton started the fixture 76 points behind Antonelli in the world championship but faces losing further ground, with nine rounds to go after the race in the Spanish capital.