Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur: Hamilton from P20 to the São Paulo podium?

Ferrari isn’t getting off scot-free when it comes to grid penalties either. The Italians have chosen the São Paulo Grand Prix to absorb the inevitable penalties for fitting new engine components, as the Interlagos circuit is conducive to overtaking and, in all likelihood, it will rain during the Grand Prix.

Monaco’s Leclerc was fourth fastest, but a ten-place grid penalty means he’ll start from P14. Lewis Hamilton took part in the second qualifying segment, but then pulled out. For good reason, as team principal Fred Vasseur explains. Hamilton is likely to start from P20.

Vasseur puts the chaotic qualifying session into perspective: “We wanted to conserve Lewis’s tyres because we have to start from the back due to the penalty.”

Tyre allocations in Formula 1 are limited. For wet-weather tyres, this means: two sets of wet tyres (marked blue), five sets of the less-treaded intermediates (marked green).

Vasseur continues: “The most important thing is that the conditions in the race are likely to be quite similar to those in qualifying. We achieved our goal and saw that we had pace from start to finish.”

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Sao Paulo: Das Rennen

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08.11.2026 - 17:10

“We’ll see on Sunday just how far up the field we can move in the Grand Prix – it’ll be a nice challenge.”

“We deliberately accepted the penalty this weekend because we knew we’d have to serve it before the end of the season anyway. We think this São Paulo Grand Prix is ideal for making up positions.”

“If the conditions are as tricky as they were in the final practice session, then we’ll have a good chance. The conditions in qualifying were really treacherous, but the positive thing is that Ferrari is competitive in the wet. I think that’s good news, because nobody had an answer to that in advance.”

“I believe Max Verstappen has won here in the past from 16th position (it was from P17 in 2024, M.B.), and the following year, if I’m not mistaken, he fought his way up from the back of the field to third place. (From P19 to P3, M.B.) Conditions are certainly set to be tricky, and all of this could present an additional opportunity. We’ll see – the race will be long and tricky, but that’s precisely why we’ve saved tyres. If there’s a safety car or a red flag, the drivers will have more opportunities to fight their way back up the field.”