Hamilton makes specific Ferrari request after rivals’ gains

Ferrari brought a raft of upgrades to Florida across several areas of the car, including a new front and rear wing. However, despite a clear step forward, the SF-26 was unable to match the pace of Mercedes and McLaren, and at times even Verstappen’s RB22, with Hamilton finishing sixth despite carrying damage.

Speaking to GPblog among other media, the seven-time world champion pointed out that Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull appear to be taking a different approach with the front wing compared to Ferrari, suggesting it is an area the team needs to analyse closely to understand whether there is potential for improvement, noting that the visual differences are clear and hinting that it could be one of the factors behind the progress made by their rivals.

An unseen on-board from Hamilton’s SF-26 showed the Brit reacting angrily to Colapinto after overtaking him during the Miami Grand Prix. His race had already been compromised by early contact between the two, despite a strong launch off the line, with the resulting damage to his car not terminal but enough to hurt his overall pace and keep him out of contention at the front.

Hamilton eventually made his way back past the Argentine, and in the immediate aftermath of the move, cameras captured his frustration as he gestured towards his rival on the back straight. Even without a fully competitive package, the seven-time world champion still recovered to finish sixth, crossing the line ahead of his team-mate, who was later handed a 20-second penalty that dropped him to eighth.