Breaking: Rare Ferrari breakthrough for Lewis Hamilton after SF-25 re….read more
Rare Ferrari breakthrough for Lewis Hamilton after SF-25 re….read more
During the Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari endured a mixed weekend, facing strategic missteps and underwhelming pace. Yet despite the challenges, there were notable insights and moments of optimism for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who has been adapting to his new role within the Scuderia Ferrari team since making the sensational switch from Mercedes.
Hamilton, who started the race from 12th on the grid, admitted post-race that he had actually enjoyed the event, even though it underscored Ferrari’s current performance struggles. Ferrari’s overall lack of race pace in Miami saw both of its drivers – Hamilton and Charles Leclerc – fighting more for damage limitation than podium contention. Ultimately, the duo found themselves tangled in an unfortunate intra-team situation, which compromised Hamilton’s race and left both drivers finishing lower than they had hoped.
The most frustrating aspect for Hamilton came in the second half of the race when he found himself behind teammate Leclerc, despite being on a fresher and faster set of medium tyres. Hamilton was visibly held up by Leclerc, who was running a different strategy. As a result, he had to ask the team to consider swapping positions to allow him to maximize the performance advantage of his tyres. The delay in Ferrari’s decision-making meant Hamilton lost precious time and tyre performance, which could have been critical in fighting further up the field.
2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button, speaking after the race, empathized with Hamilton’s situation. Button noted that even a single lap spent behind a slower car on fresh tyres can compromise tyre performance significantly by increasing their temperature and degrading their effectiveness. Button emphasized that this kind of strategic situation should have been pre-planned by the team. According to him, when one driver is on a clearly faster tyre and strategy, the team should not hesitate or wait for a request from the driver to make the swap happen. He even went so far as to say Hamilton “shouldn’t have even had to ask” for the position change — a damning indictment of Ferrari’s reactive approach.
In his post-race interview with Sky Sports, Hamilton elaborated on his mixed emotions about the race. While he found enjoyment in the driving and believed there was a point when the car came alive and gave him hope, he acknowledged that Ferrari currently lacks the pace to challenge consistently near the front. He mentioned that the team has identified where performance has been lost in recent races and is awaiting updates to fix those shortcomings. Nevertheless, he expressed hope and determination, suggesting that once past a traffic jam caused by the Haas, he began to feel confident in the car’s potential.
However, Hamilton reiterated the pivotal moment that soured his race — the delay behind Leclerc. He admitted that he had been sarcastic in his radio communications during the race and that while some people might have misinterpreted his tone, he wasn’t genuinely angry. Instead, he conveyed a sense of urgency and frustration borne from his desire to make progress and fight for better positions. “I’m not frustrated now,” Hamilton clarified. “I just will work internally.”
Despite the tough outing, the Miami Grand Prix did offer signs of a breakthrough for Hamilton. He and the Ferrari team appear to understand where the car is falling short, and they’re expecting technical updates soon. This shared understanding between driver and team, coupled with the lessons learned from the strategic errors in Miami, could prove invaluable as they look ahead to upcoming races and aim to climb back toward the front of the grid.
