Lewis Hamilton was left “quite unhappy” after qualifying P6 for the 2026 F1 Miami GP, as the Ferrari driver believes a higher position was possible after the team made changes to his SF-26.
The Brit has struggled to find pace throughout the weekend, with his P4 in FP1 marking his best result, before he dropped down to P7 in Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint Race. These results carry extra weight given that Ferrari brought a significant upgrade to Miami. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, seems to be clearly benefitting from these changes, as he topped FP1, claimed P3 in the Sprint, and now lines up P3 for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Hamilton: “I wasn’t able to extract the maximum”
Reflecting on his P6 qualifying result in comparison to his P7 Sprint finish at the 2026 F1 Miami GP, Hamilton shared in the print media pen:
“It was an improvement. We made lots of changes to the car, we didn’t have software issues. So I think we progressed, we stepped forward. I think Q2 was really really solid, and then when I got to Q3, it was just negative, I wasn’t able to extract the maximum.”
Hamilton delivered P7 in Q1 and set one of the fastest times in Q2 before losing time in all sectors. In Q3, sitting P6, he attempted a final push lap in the last seconds, though he ultimately couldn’t improve his position.
After the session, Leclerc noted the tricky wind conditions. However, when asked whether he also faces issues with this aspect, Hamilton shared: “Not massively.”
Notably, the Grand Prix, originally set for 16:00 local time, has been changed to 13:00 local time, as Miami expects a heavy rainstorm later in the afternoon, with rain also possible at the earlier race start.
“I think the rain will be the part. Rain will be the biggest part, I would imagine,” said Hamilton as he expects the rain to play the biggest factor in the race.
Aiming higher
Hamilton further explained his disappointment with his P6 qualifying, as he felt a top-three result was possible, as suggested by Leclerc’s P3.
“I mean, I don’t feel comfortable in P6, it’s not where I want to be. I’m quite unhappy with P6, naturally. But, I’m happy that we made changes going into qualifying and we progressed. We did improve. I think top three was probably possible.”
In preparation for the race, the seven-time World Champion and Ferrari will focus on understanding the car’s changing behavior while simplifying his approach going forward regarding the simulator.
“So I just gotta work on… If I could start with what I had yesterday and had that practice of driving the car as it was today,” he continued. “Because it was miles different from the Sprint and from yesterday. So I really need to dig deep on that. If I’m honest, I think the simulator sends me in the wrong direction, so I think I might cut that out for now and give it a run without.”
