At the Miami Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton`s Saturday mirrored the start of his Ferrari journey, moving from the elation of a successful Sprint to the frustration of an early qualifying elimination.
Since his highly anticipated move to Ferrari after 12 years with Mercedes, Hamilton had seemingly found his stride early in the season, securing pole position and victory in the China Sprint in late March.
Yet, this was followed by a disqualification from the main Shanghai race due to a technical issue. In the subsequent three events, his best qualifying result was seventh and his top race finish fifth, consistently trailing his teammate Charles Leclerc.
In Miami on Saturday, the Sprint race again offered a brief positive moment for the seven-time world champion. A timely decision to switch from intermediate to slick tires on the drying track allowed him to climb from a vulnerable sixth position to finish third, behind the McLarens.
Despite earning only six points, which didn`t improve his seventh place in the championship standings, Hamilton expressed genuine pleasure at this rare positive outcome.
`Oh man, I`m so happy with that,` Hamilton told the crowd in his immediate on-track interview after the Sprint. `It`s certainly been a tough year to date.`
Hamilton Strategy Call Made Due to Extreme `Struggle`
Although happy with the result, Hamilton seemed aware that the success was more attributable to a shrewd strategic call than outright car pace.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he explained, `It was my decision [to pit]. It stemmed from how much I was struggling on the intermediate tires.`
`I was losing speed and unable to match the cars in front. The tires had grained front and rear, making me feel like a passenger.`
`Noticing the dry line, I realized we needed to try something different, otherwise I would just keep losing positions.`
`I regret not pitting one lap sooner, but I`m glad I made the call. The car felt much better afterwards, and climbing from seventh to third is a good result.`
Hamilton couldn`t directly compare his performance to teammate Leclerc in this race, as Leclerc crashed on his way to the grid, caught out by sudden heavy rain.
The chaotic circumstances of the Sprint and Leclerc`s early exit made it hard to gauge Ferrari`s potential heading into Grand Prix qualifying.
Back Down to Earth in Qualifying
Despite Hamilton`s cautious optimism after the Sprint, the subsequent qualifying session proved to be as difficult as feared.
The veteran driver narrowly advanced from Q1, requiring an extra set of new soft tires in the final moments after a significant lock-up compromised his initial attempt.
Predictably, a poor second run in Q2, marked by another lock-up at Turn 17, resulted in his elimination and a disappointing 12th place grid position.
Hamilton tried to remain positive but confessed to Sky Sports F1 that Ferrari is grappling with understanding their car issues, which are causing them to significantly underperform relative to their pre-season hopes of competing for the championship.
`We`ll keep pushing,` Hamilton stated. `It`s only six races into the season, but we are really struggling right now.`
`We`re trying hard to avoid major setup changes, but the car is incredibly inconsistent each time we go out.`
`We have issues with the brakes and the instability we`re facing, and overall, we lack speed. Even reaching Q3 is proving difficult.`
`Starting from behind makes it hard to score points. Tomorrow will be challenging, but we will try our best. I`m used to this situation, but I won`t stop trying.`
`I`ll be back at the factory next week, continuing to work hard.`
Leclerc Misery Deepens Ferrari Concern
In the three races prior, Leclerc had shown signs of adapting better to the SF-25, securing fourth-place finishes in Japan and Bahrain, followed by Ferrari`s first podium of the season in Saudi Arabia.
However, the driver from Monaco was discouraged by the car`s performance on Friday, and after qualifying eighth, he told Sky Sports F1 on Saturday that he felt its performance was the poorest of the season so far.
`Something felt strange and off during qualifying. For some reason, I couldn`t get the car into its operating window,` Leclerc stated.
`Starting in Q1, we had to make significant changes to the car to try and reach a competitive state for Q3, which is highly unusual. The car never felt right, and its performance was very poor.`
`The sensation isn`t good. That`s just how it is. It`s frustrating when you give your maximum, and your maximum in a Ferrari is P8, especially with two Williams cars ahead. I didn`t make any errors… we simply lack pace.`
When asked if this was his most challenging session of the season, Leclerc responded, `Yes. This track is also different from others, featuring many low-speed corners, and currently, we are struggling significantly in these sections.`
Ferrari`s main hope for a better result in Sunday`s race seems to hinge on rain creating unpredictable conditions, though even that might not be sufficient.
It seems highly probable that the team will face intense pressure at their first home race in Imola in two weeks, needing to turn around a disappointing start to the 2025 season.
