The Miami Grand Prix Sprint delivered a rollercoaster of emotions for Ferrari, with Lewis Hamilton executing a brilliant strategic move to secure a podium finish, while Charles Leclerc’s hopes were dashed before the race even began due to a dramatic crash on the way to the grid.
Leclerc Crashes Before Sprint Start Amid Treacherous Conditions
Just before the Sprint started, heavy rains made the Miami International Autodrome unsuitable for racing. While drivers were heading to the grid, Charles Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari on the slippery surface and slid into the barriers, immediately ending his session before a racing lap was completed. The incident brought on a red flag just after the first formation lap.Reflecting on the costly mistake, Leclerc held himself accountable for the crash.
“It’s frustrating, but at the end of the day I can only blame myself for it,” the Monegasque admitted. “Going out with inters in those conditions was probably not the best choice, but on the other hand these things shouldn’t happen.”
He further explained how aquaplaning caught him off-guard:
“I felt a bit like a passenger because it’s in a straight line, and it’s not like you are pushing in a straight line. I was just cruising until I completely lost control of the car because of the aquaplaning and I had no way out of it."
“Very disappointed. It’s the way it is, now I need to move on because there’s a Qualifying in a few hours which I hope I’ll be able to take part of, and if I do then I hope we can recover from a difficult beginning of the day.”
Hamilton Makes Bold Strategy Call for Miami Sprint Podium
Hamilton eventually finished third behind McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, marking a strong result after what has been a challenging start to his season.
“Man, I’m so happy with that,” Hamilton said post-race. “It’s been a tough year so far but to have… I never thought it was going to rain in Miami. It’s the first time we’ve all been on track in the wet here and what a race it provided us, so a big thank you everybody.”
Hamilton’s Tire Gamble Pays Off
Discussing his decision to make the early tire change, Hamilton revealed how he trusted his instincts.
“I really did struggle on the inters, I think everyone was struggling on them,” he said.
“I made that call at the end and was like ‘I’m coming in’ because I was going nowhere so take the risk, take the gamble, and it paid off. I wish we had another couple of laps to give these guys \[Norris and Piastri] a bit of a fight, but congrats to McLaren as always.”
Eyes Now on Qualifying
While Hamilton walks away from the Sprint with renewed confidence, Leclerc is left aiming for redemption in the upcoming qualifying session. Despite a bruising start to the day, the Ferrari driver remains hopeful of turning things around as the race weekend continues in Miami.