MIAMI, Fla. – During a scout lap before the Formula 1 sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc lost control and crashed into the wall, ending his race before it even started.
His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, narrowly avoided a similar fate while driving right behind Leclerc. Fortunately, Hamilton managed to steer clear of disaster and continued with his hopes for the F1 sprint.
Instead of hitting the wall, he ended up on the podium.
Hamilton secured third place in the Formula 1 sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, adding to his achievements this season with two podium finishes in two sprint races. He had previously won the F1 sprint in the Chinese Grand Prix, and now he has a P3 trophy to accompany it.
After the race, in discussions with the media, including SB Nation, Hamilton shared how close he was to crashing just like Leclerc.
“I don’t know what happened during the formation lap, but obviously Charles had that moment,” Hamilton explained. “I was right behind him, so I experienced the same situation, but somehow I managed to stop before hitting the wall.”
“So, we both faced that risk.”
“I’m just really grateful that I managed to earn some points from that.”
Hamilton was among the first to switch from mid-tyres to slicks, a gamble that paid off as he gained several positions and climbed into the top three. He finished third after a safety car was deployed late in the race due to an incident involving Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso.
“I was thrilled, genuinely thrilled,” Hamilton said, noting that he had to make bold moves when racing against McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. “I was like, ‘I have to roll the dice here.’
“I had full lock from turn 12 all the way through turn 16 without turning yet.”
“So I thought, ‘Let’s just go for it and switch to slick tires.’ It probably would have worked even a lap or two earlier.”
Looking towards the qualifying session later that day, Hamilton expressed that Ferrari isn’t fully utilizing the capabilities of the SF-25.
“We haven’t tapped into its full potential,” Hamilton remarked. “That’s an area we need to address to maximize what our car can achieve.”
“I don’t think we match McLaren’s pace right now, but I believe we can close the gap to both Red Bull and McLaren.”
“There are numerous factors we need to improve on.”
“Hopefully, we can work on that during qualifying today.”
The qualifying session, along with the aim to harness the full power of the SF-25, begins in just a few hours.
