At the Miami Grand Prix on May 3, 2026, Lewis Hamilton found himself in a challenging position, qualifying sixth after a series of improvements. Despite this progress, he expressed dissatisfaction with his placement and the ongoing struggles with Ferrari’s setup.
Hamilton noted that he had previously qualified seventh in the Sprint, making this sixth position feel like a step back. “I don’t feel comfortable in P6, it is not where I want to be, so naturally, I am not happy,” he said.
During the weekend, Ferrari introduced an impressive 11 upgrades to their SF-26 car. However, Hamilton criticized the team’s simulator for leading him in the wrong direction regarding car setup. “If I’m honest, I think the simulator really sent me in the wrong direction, so I think I might cut that out,” he mentioned.
Despite these challenges, Hamilton managed to reduce his qualifying deficit to pole position to just five tenths of a second, compared to previous sessions. He described this as an improvement but still felt uneasy about his performance.
Looking ahead to the race, Hamilton expressed hope for better performance under potentially wet conditions. “I’m expecting tomorrow the car to feel a lot better,” he said. “It’s going to be wet, so… I’m confident with the balance that I have today in wet; hopefully we should be in a good place.”
This sequence of events reflects Hamilton’s ongoing challenges with Ferrari’s simulator and setup as they prepare for a critical race in Miami. The rain could very well change the dynamics of the race and offer new opportunities for improvement.
