Lewis Hamilton emerged from qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix with renewed optimism after significant setup changes transformed his Ferrari’s handling characteristics. The seven-time world champion secured sixth place on the grid, finishing just two-tenths behind teammate Charles Leclerc who claimed third, representing a marked improvement from his disappointing sprint race performance earlier in the weekend.
Hamilton’s struggles had been magnified during Saturday’s sprint, where he could only manage seventh place after losing ground in a battle with Max Verstappen and finishing a concerning 21 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris. The performance gap became even more pronounced when Leclerc secured third place in the same sprint, applying late pressure to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for second position.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the qualifying session at Hard Rock Stadium, Hamilton revealed the extent of the improvements made to his car. “Much better in qualifying, so I don’t think we had any power issues,” Hamilton explained. “That was the best that it’s been this weekend. And we changed the car, and I was much, much happier with it. I wish I started the weekend with that balance.”
The British driver acknowledged that while Ferrari brought upgrades to Miami, the team continues to lose time on the straights compared to their rivals. Hamilton praised his team’s development efforts while admitting he struggled to extract the maximum performance in Q3 despite showing strong pace in Q2. “I think clearly we need to. The other teams are doing different things with their car in terms of development, and so we need to look into that,” he noted.
Despite the modest grid position, Hamilton expressed confidence about race prospects and Ferrari’s trajectory. “I feel like we took a step forward. It doesn’t show in my result, but I’m optimistic for tomorrow,” he concluded, suggesting the setup changes could translate into stronger race pace for Sunday’s grand prix.