Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he is “devastated” by his poor performance at the 2026 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but Marc Surer saw one positive aspect from his efforts at Interlagos last week.

Surer was far from impressed by Hamilton at the Sao Paulo GP, as the seven-time F1 champion only earned a P9 finish on Sunday. The Briton started from 20th place on the grid after having to take a new engine after FP3 and made a rapid rise at the start of the race, just for his progress to slow as the Grand Prix progressed.

Lewis Hamilton was only not ‘weak’ at the start of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Such was the plight that plagued Ferrari at Interlagos in the wet-dry-wet conditions last Sunday that Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso overtook Hamilton during the Sao Paulo GP. The Spaniard briefly got ahead of his long-time rival for P13 on Lap 10/71 with a bold pass around the outside of Turn 5 as the track dried.

Hamilton found himself falling back into the pack while Ferrari held off letting him pit and get off the inters, having made a flawless launch to find himself in P9 by the end of the first lap of the Sao Paulo GP. How the 41-year-old gained 11 spots on the opening lap would ultimately also be Hamilton’s only highlight for Surer.

“Weak in qualifying, strong at the start, then weak again,” ex-Brabham driver Surer told Motorsport-Total.

Rising from P20 on the grid thanks to his penalty for an engine change to P9, before falling back and then climbing up the order to finish the Sao Paulo GP in P9 last Sunday also disappointed Ferrari star Hamilton.

Writing on Instagram after the race, Hamilton noted: “Devastated by yesterday’s race, especially with how it ended. It started so well, but we struggled with the tyres and massive oversteer.

“In those conditions, it made things incredibly difficult. I pushed as hard as I could, but we just didn’t have the pace this weekend. We’ll work to understand why and come back fighting at the next race.

“The team worked so hard on the car all weekend, and I’m grateful for every bit of that effort. Ultimately, this isn’t the race we wanted to deliver.”

Hamilton could not have dreamt for a better start in the Sao Paulo GP, having had to start the race from the back of the grid due to Ferrari having to change his engine after further issues arose after already changing his internal combustion engine (ICE) before FP3.

The Briton got a great initial launch of the wet, slopped grid at Interlagos and took to the outside for Turn 1, which opened a route through the Senna S to already pull alongside Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc (who had started from P14 due to his own ICE change).

Taking advantage of his rival drivers squabbling and using the outside line onto the Reta Oposta then gave Hamilton the chance to swoop around the outside of Haas’ Oliver Bearman out of Descida do Lago (Turn 5). However, Ferrari told Hamilton to give P9 back to Bearman as he completed the move beyond track limits.

As Surer suggests, the start proved to be the only highlight from Hamilton’s race, as he dropped back down and up the order before finishing in P9, with Leclerc in P8. McLaren’s Lando Norris also lapped Hamilton en route to winning the Sao Paulo GP, which caught the Ferrari ace by surprise when his compatriot flew past.