Breaking:Lewis Hamilton Miami GP quali woes ‘indigestible’ for… Read More
Lewis Hamilton’s challenging qualifying performance at the Miami Grand Prix has sparked concern within the Ferrari camp, with Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport describing the result as “indigestible” for the team. Despite showing promise by securing a podium in the sprint race earlier in the weekend, Hamilton’s early exit in Q2 during qualifying for the main race left Ferrari frustrated and seeking answers.
In the sprint, Hamilton capitalized on a bold strategy switch to dry tyres in damp conditions, which helped him finish third. This contrasted with teammate Charles Leclerc’s misfortune, as the Monegasque driver crashed on the way to the grid due to the wet weather. However, hopes of Hamilton carrying that momentum into the main qualifying session quickly faded. Despite narrowing his qualifying gap to Leclerc from over half a second in earlier races to just six hundredths in Miami, Hamilton failed to progress past Q2—marking his first such elimination since joining Ferrari for the 2025 season.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Hamilton’s performance issues have raised eyebrows at Ferrari, with suggestions that the SF-25 car seems to regress in his hands. The report highlighted ongoing struggles by both Ferrari drivers to achieve the right balance between the front and rear of the car. These balance issues, compounded by the increased grip of Pirelli’s new tyre compounds, are reportedly forcing both drivers to make constant steering corrections during laps.
Although Hamilton’s slow start at Ferrari has been heavily scrutinized, Leclerc too has expressed dissatisfaction with the current performance level of the SF-25. The Miami Grand Prix brought more disappointment as Ferrari’s bid to outpace Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli failed. Leclerc finished in seventh, just ahead of Hamilton in eighth. In an effort to optimize their results, Ferrari issued multiple team orders to swap positions between their drivers during the race—decisions that led to evident frustration from Hamilton over the team radio.
Leclerc spoke candidly after the race, emphasizing the need for internal discussions within Ferrari. While not blaming Hamilton directly, he criticized the team’s strategic decisions and called for immediate improvements. “We definitely have to talk about it internally,” Leclerc told DAZN F1. “We’ll analyse it. And we have to do better. It’s not that we have to try, we have to do better.”
Despite the internal friction, Leclerc affirmed that he and Hamilton need to work together to lift Ferrari out of its current slump. He pointed out that while operational mistakes may have cost the team a position in Miami, the bigger issue lies in the lack of raw pace from the car itself. With Ferrari now sitting fourth in the Constructors’ Championship—already trailing McLaren by 152 points—Leclerc stressed the importance of uniting with Hamilton to push for much-needed improvements.
