Lewis Hamilton secured his second-best result as a Ferrari driver so far with P3 in the F1 Sprint at the Miami Grand Prix, yet Damon Hill believes he will be ‘extremely upset’.
The 40-year-old is yet to get a podium finish in a Grand Prix since Hamilton left Mercedes for Ferrari ahead of the 2025 F1 season. But the Briton now boasts two Sprint podiums after he joined McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the top three places in Florida.
Hamilton won the Shanghai Sprint from pole position back in round two of the season at the Chinese Grand Prix. It marked his first pole and victory with the Scuderia, as well. Yet results have since evaded the seven-time champion, as Hamilton struggles to adapt to Ferrari’s car.
A mix of rain, misfortune for a few of his rival drivers and genius decisions in the F1 Sprint at the Miami GP saw Hamilton rise from seventh on the grid to third, however. Yet Hill believes Hamilton will have ended the Miami Sprint feeling slightly disappointed, despite his podium.
Damon Hill thinks Lewis Hamilton will be ‘upset’ to only get P3 in the Miami Sprint
Hamilton immediately gained one place at the start of the Miami Sprint by passing Williams driver Alex Albon before Turn 1. His race then stagnated stuck behind his former teammate, George Russell of Mercedes, until Hamilton was one of the first drivers to pit for slick tyres.
Ferrari accepted Hamilton’s request to pit for soft tyres in the Miami Sprint and called him in at the end of Lap 11/18. It dropped the seven-time F1 champion to 16th place, yet he found instant speed to shoot up the order when rival drivers stopped to rise to fourth place by L14.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
Yet Hill feels Hamilton will be ‘upset’ that the Ferrari driver could not use his speed to place McLaren’s Norris and Piastri under pressure as Fernando Alonso crashing on L14 triggered a safety car period. The F1 Sprint at the Miami GP would also then end behind the safety car.
“Lewis must be extremely upset because he pulled a blinder,” Hill told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (03/05, 17:56). “He was flying. He was the quickest man on the track at the time and he’s now up in third place.
“But, of course, they’ve brought out the safety car, so he can’t press home that advantage. He was the boldest one [and] went onto the slicks earlier than everyone else.”
Third place was the best Lewis Hamilton could get in the Miami Sprint after a genius pit call
Alonso crashing just as Norris pitted at the end of L14 meant the McLaren star inherited the lead of the Sprint from his teammate, Piastri. The extent of the damage to his Aston Martin after spinning into the Turn 12 barrier also ensured the Sprint finished under the safety car.
Had it not been for the effective race-ending incident, then Hamilton might wonder if Norris was a potential target to catch before the end of the Sprint in Miami. Piastri was far enough clear of the Ferrari driver once Hamilton passed Max Verstappen for P3 to likely stay ahead.
