Hamilton Marks His 400th Grand Prix Start in Brazil as Leclerc Becomes a Father

Lewis Hamilton reaches 400 Grand Prix starts this weekend, and he does it in the one place where the number means something to him. The seven-time world champion lines up at Interlagos for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, in the country that made him an honorary citizen, still fighting at the front at 41. His team-mate will not be there to share the moment: Charles Leclerc is home in Monaco after the birth of his daughter Bianca on Tuesday, and he misses Thursday’s media day and Friday’s first practice while the talks Hamilton wants about their Mexico clash still wait to happen.

What is the 400th start, and why Brazil?

A milestone only one driver has passed. Hamilton made his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 2007, won his first championship a year later, added six more with Mercedes between 2014 and 2020, and joined Ferrari last season. He is the sport’s most successful driver, with a record 106 race wins and 105 pole positions, the latest of them last weekend in Mexico. Only Fernando Alonso, 45, has made more Grand Prix starts, and the double world champion is closing in on 450 races. Hamilton told reporters on Thursday that he never thought he would reach numbers like 400, Reuters reports: “It’s kind of crazy. I never ever thought that I would be reaching numbers like that. I still feel young, and regardless of the things that people say, you saw my pole last week in Mexico. I still have the pace, I still have the speed, I still have the dedication, which is most important, and the focus.”

The place matters more to him than the number. Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022, and he said so plainly on Thursday: “For me, that number is kind of irrelevant. But it’s beautiful to be able to have that here in Brazil.”

What did Hamilton’s rivals say about 400 starts?

That it is a benchmark, not a farewell. McLaren’s Lando Norris, the 2025 world champion, called it a pretty incredible achievement and an inspiration for younger drivers hoping to build similar longevity, adding that Hamilton’s form this season had dispelled any doubts about his competitiveness. “When I look at Lewis, he makes me believe more than ever that I could fight for many, many more years,” Norris said. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg put it more simply: “He could have easily retired many times and said, ‘that’s enough’. Fair play and respect to him that he still puts in the work, still wants this, and still does this.” It is a fitting stage for a longevity story, and the tributes from his rivals said the same thing: the number is less interesting than the fact that he is still quick enough to make it matter.

Where is Leclerc, and when does he arrive?

At home, for the best possible reason. Leclerc returned to Monaco immediately after the Mexico City Grand Prix to be present for the birth of his daughter, PlanetF1 reports, and Bianca arrived on Tuesday. He and his wife Alexandra announced the birth a day later with a simple caption on social media: “Bianca, 3.11.26.” Ferrari confirmed to PlanetF1 that Leclerc will not attend Thursday’s media day at Interlagos, giving him a bit more time at home with his family, and he is only travelling to Sao Paulo on Thursday. He will also miss first practice, with Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic contesting the session in his place, and he arrives at the circuit on Friday. It is the same kind of family-first absence the sport has seen before, and it leaves Ferrari a driver short for the opening day of a milestone weekend. The last driver to hit a round-number start at his home race was Sergio Perez, who marked his 300th start in Mexico with Cadillac watching, and the pattern holds: the home crowd makes the number bigger.

What about the talks Hamilton wants?

They still have not happened, and the baby is the reason. Hamilton said on Thursday that the face-to-face talks between himself and Leclerc need to take place at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Formula 1 reports, because they have not yet happened: Leclerc was back home for the birth, and team principal Fred Vasseur had also been back in Europe at the factory. That is the unfinished business from Mexico, where Hamilton started from pole, believed a one-two was lost after going side by side with Leclerc on the opening lap, and finished second behind Max Verstappen while Leclerc took a penalty for cutting the track. Hamilton doubled down on his criticism at the Sao Paulo press conference, answering “Yes” when asked if Leclerc races him harder than rival drivers, and saying he will not apologise and will not be silenced, as covered in our report on the Ferrari row.

Leclerc, for his part, has not conceded the argument. He said on Sunday that they will talk, and that he has something to say too: “I could be also unhappy with how much he pushed me off the track out of Turn 1, but I think it’s racing. When you are fighting for a win, it’s the way it should be.” Vasseur is expected to sit both drivers down on Friday, once Leclerc is in the building. Hamilton, meanwhile, is looking past the row to next year, saying the foundation and rules of engagement they build now will put Ferrari in the right position for a title challenge in 2027, and that in some ways he is glad the clash happened with the championships already lost. The title is indeed decided: Andrea Kimi Antonelli clinched the youngest championship in Austin, so the fight at Interlagos is for second place, where Hamilton sits third, two points behind Verstappen.

What happens at Interlagos?

A milestone, a reunion and a test, in that order. Hamilton takes his 400th start on a track where Ferrari has the pace to win, and where the sprint format has already produced chaos this season: Verstappen and Hamilton both said sprints should not run where cars cannot pass, and Interlagos is the opposite of that problem, a short lap with overtaking everywhere. Leclerc rejoins on Friday, takes part in the sit-down with Vasseur, and then has to answer the only question that matters: whether the two Ferraris race each other cleanly when the lights go out. The 400th start will be celebrated whatever happens. Whether the weekend is remembered for the milestone or for another team-mate clash depends on Friday’s conversation, and on two drivers who have both now said, in public, that they have something to say to each other.