Lewis Hamilton started the Miami GP Sprint from P7 after an underwhelming qualifying session on Friday. Inherent balance issues continued to plague the SF-25, and many expected the Briton to once again struggle to make progress through the field.
However, the racing gods seemed to favor Hamilton when the skies opened over the Miami International Autodrome earlier today. The tricky wet conditions caught out Charles Leclerc, who crashed on the installation lap—promoting Hamilton to P6 before the race had even begun.
That said, things didn’t get off to a great start once the lights went out. Hamilton struggled with understeer on corner entry as his green-walled intermediate tires began to lose tread. It looked like another frustrating race for the seven-time world champion—until a brilliant call to box for slicks on a slowly drying track catapulted him up to P3.
He held the position through to the chequered flag, even after a late Safety Car threatened to shake things up, securing the second Sprint podium of his Ferrari career (the first coming in the form of a P1 finish in China last month). After the race, Hamilton revealed that the call to switch to red-walled soft tires had been entirely his own.
That said, he lamented the fact that he had not taken that decision sooner.
“I saw the dry line and I said to myself, we have to do something, because otherwise I will lose more positions. So, I made the decision. In a way I was sorry, I would have done it a lap earlier, but I’m happy I did it,” he explained after the race as quoted by AutoRacer.it.
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Hamilton wasn’t the only driver to benefit from the switch to slicks. Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who started the Sprint from 19th on the grid, clawed his way through the field to finish eighth—scoring yet another valuable point for the Kannapolis-based team.
Regardless, that Hamilton had to make the tire call himself, highlighted Ferrari’s ongoing struggles with pit wall decision-making. Several times this season, there has been a noticeable disconnect between Hamilton and Ferrari’s strategists—an issue that, in the long run, is unsustainable for consistent success.
Leclerc’s crash before the start only further underscored their issues with strategy and awareness. Still, despite recent struggles, a podium finish will come as a welcome relief for both Hamilton and Ferrari.
It also suggests that the Maranello-based outfit is managing to build some momentum after Leclerc’s podium at the Saudi Arabian GP two weeks ago.
Now, they will be hoping for a positive showing in Sunday’s Grand Prix as well.
