Lewis Hamilton described the Miami Sprint weekend as a challenging outing that will not define Ferrari after the team struggled for pace. He spent the event consistently a few tenths behind team-mate Charles Leclerc and failed to place inside the top five in any session.
Hamilton was classified sixth in Sunday’s Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Leclerc only after the Monegasque was given a 20-second penalty for cutting several corners on the final lap following contact with the barriers. Hamilton said the early contact left him stuck in no-man’s land and unable to extract more from the car, calling the result tough to take given the team’s hard work but insisting the weekend would not determine their season.
The season began well for Hamilton with strong showings in Australia and China, including his first Ferrari podium in Shanghai, but performance has trailed Leclerc in Japan and Miami. He was around four tenths adrift in Sprint Qualifying and slipped to seventh in the Sprint race. Set-up changes for qualifying narrowed the gap to roughly two tenths, but an opening-lap incident with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto left Hamilton with damage and a largely lonely race.
Hamilton said the first-lap incident was unavoidable after a spin further ahead forced him to move right; subsequent contact cost him positions and significant performance. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 he summed up the weekend as poor, noting the team’s hard work and the disappointment of scoring so few points.
Ferrari brought a substantial upgrade package to Miami — 11 notable changes — and Hamilton emphasised that the result does not reflect that effort. He also indicated he will alter his preparation approach for the next race. Formula 1 now heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, another Sprint weekend on May 22–24.