The 19-lap Sprint Race on Saturday at the Miami GP proved to be quite a challenge for Scuderia Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. While the unexpected rain at this circuit was an obstacle for all the drivers and teams, some prospered. Hamilton kept his focus on the race and made an incredible strategy decision, which led to his climb to the final place on the podium.
McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Sprint after a great drive at the Miami International Autodrome, followed closely by his teammate, Oscar Piastri. The race came to an end after the safety car returned to the pits in the last lap.
Risky pitstop changed everything
With his teammate not being able to race due to an incident before the start of the Miami GP Sprint, Lewis Hamilton had the pressure on himself to bring points home. This Sprint Race was the first time any of the drivers had to drive in such precarious conditions on this circuit. His quick thinking in the tricky conditions helped him immensely. The Ferrari driver shared his thoughts on his race in the wet weather, as well as his outlook on the 2025 season as a whole:
“Oh, man! I’m so happy with that. It’s been a tough year so far, but to have… You know, I never thought it would rain in Miami. It was the first time that we’ve all been on track in the wet here, and what a race it provided us. So, a big thank you to everybody.”
Hamilton’s confidence seemed to flourish yet again. His first season at the Italian team ended up bringing him both a win in the Chinese GP Sprint race, as well as a P5 race at the Bahrain GP.
Issues with the wet conditions
The Sprint race at the Miami GP turned out to be quite eventful for Hamilton. After he decided to pit early in order to change his tyres when struggling to hold off Alex Al on for 6th, the British driver found himself in P4. This brought him behind Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, whom Hamilton managed to overtake. Nevertheless, Lewis Hamilton still faced problems with the unpredictability of the Intermediate tyres:
“Oh well, I really, really did struggle on the inters. I think everyone was struggling on them, and I just made that call at the end; I was like “I’m coming in” because I wasn’t going nowhere. So take the risk, take the gamble, and it paid off.”
Moreover, when reflecting on the outcome of the Sprint Race, the Scuderia Ferrari driver spoke out on the possibility of an even better result. He also praised his first team, McLaren, for the 1-2 finish:
“Wish we had another couple of laps to give these guys a bit of a fight, but, you know, big congrats to McLaren as always.”
