Verstappen's GT teammate calls out FIA over Hamilton flip-off gesture

The seven-time world champion was caught on unseen TV footage showing the middle finger towards the Argentine driver after contact between the pair at the start caused significant damage to Hamilton’s SF-26. The incident heavily compromised the Briton’s race, with the Ferrari driver ultimately unable to finish higher than sixth place.

The incident also caught the attention of the Spanish driver, who competes alongside Verstappen in GT racing. Under a post showing Hamilton giving Colapinto the middle finger, Juncadella sarcastically questioned whether any fine had been issued, before accusing the FIA of once again applying double standards: “Here I assume there was no fine, right? FIA double standards… They never disappoint.”

The Spanish driver’s reaction was seemingly linked to his own previous experience with the FIA. During last season’s Bahrain 8 Hours - the final race of the WEC campaign - Juncadella was handed a €5,000 fine after making the same gesture towards Augusto Farfus, with €4,000 of the penalty suspended.

When another user later downplayed Hamilton’s incident by suggesting it was not particularly offensive, Juncadella clarified that he had no real issue with the gesture itself. Instead, the Spaniard criticised what he sees as inconsistent stewarding, arguing that if he had been punished for a similar action, Hamilton should also have received a financial penalty: “I don’t think it’s a problem at all that he did it, but give him a €2,000 fine as well, like they did with me.”

Speaking to GPblog among other media outlets on Sunday, Hamilton explained that the contact with Colapinto early in the race significantly hurt his chances of securing a stronger result, as the damage sustained to the car compromised its aerodynamic performance for the remainder of the race. Despite that setback, the seven-time world champion also made clear that Ferrari’s problems extend beyond the Miami incident itself.

Hamilton suggested changes will need to be made to the way Ferrari approach race weekend preparation, admitting the current process is not delivering the expected results once the team arrives at the circuit. The Briton also highlighted the SF-26’s lack of straight-line speed compared to its direct rivals, estimating Ferrari are currently losing several tenths on the straights alone - an issue he expects to remain until the team introduces a proper fix.

The Ferrari driver also pointed to ongoing correlation difficulties between the simulator and real-world track performance. Hamilton revealed he had spent extensive time in the simulator in the build-up to Miami in an effort to improve preparation and understanding of the car, despite not being a particular fan of simulator work. However, the set-up directions that appear promising virtually often fail to translate once the car hits the track, leaving Ferrari struggling to reproduce the expected balance and performance during race weekends.