MIAMI GARDENS, Fla — Lewis Hamilton said his Ferrari car is in need of upgrades at the coming races after he struggled to 12th place in qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix.
Hamilton finished third in Saturday’s sprint race in Miami after making a call to pit early for slick tyres, but failed to make Q3 for the first time as a Ferrari driver in qualifying later the same day.
“Obviously mixed emotions,” the seven-time champion said. “A good, decent result, but it wasn’t pure pace, it was a good call in the strategy — but on pure pace we didn’t have it in the race.
“I was one of the first to arrive here [at the circuit] this morning to make sure we took the right steps through the day, but it didn’t make any difference [to the result].”
Hamilton’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, qualified eighth for Sunday’s race, but was still behind the two Williams drivers, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
“On pure pace, I mean we were outqualified by the Williams,” Hamilton added. “James [Vowles, Williams team principal] and his team are doing an amazing job, but on pure pace, that’s where we are.
“We are where we are. We need some upgrades, we need some improvements. We’ve got lots of things that need to be better.”
Hamilton said he should have used an extra set of fresh tyres in Q2 — as Leclerc did — to ensure his passage to Q3.
Leclerc, who crashed during a soaking wet lap to the grid for the sprint race but was still able to take part in qualifying, said the car’s performance was also lacking for him.
“It is frustrating,” he said. “But to be honest, this weekend I felt like that’s probably even more so frustrating, is that I feel we are maximising the potential of the car.
“It’s just that the potential of the car is just not there. And when I finish a lap, again, today in qualifying, I feel very satisfied with my lap, but it’s only bringing us whatever it is, P8 or something.
“So, we’ve got to look at it. I think a track like this also highlights our weaknesses. There’s a lot of low-speed corners, and both Williams are in front of us, and I consider my lap a good one. So, I think it’s pretty easy to understand where we are lacking.”
