Lewis Hamilton would prefer to ‘forget the Miami GP as soon as possible’. An unfortunate collision with Franco Colapinto cost the seven-time world champion a better result; initially, he finished seventh, but due to a time penalty for teammate Charles Leclerc, he moved up to P6. During the race, a frustrated Hamilton already expressed his displeasure towards Colapinto – footage of a middle finger from the cockpit quickly went viral.
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After a chaotic start, Colapinto collided with Hamilton’s car, causing significant damage to the Ferrari. Yet the Brit later easily overtook the young Argentine in turn seventeen. During this, he made a clear gesture from the cockpit: onboard footage shows Hamilton raising his middle finger. He repeatedly told his race engineer Carlos Santi that it ‘would be a long race’. Afterwards, Hamilton stated that he had driven ‘in no man’s land’ for a long time.
‘Could have won’
“If the car had stayed intact…”, Hamilton mused to the press. “Everything felt good all weekend and I felt we were competitive; I was very optimistic for today. But I was unlucky to be hindered at the start by Max’s (Verstappen, ed.) spin. After I sustained damage, there was little I could do. I lost a lot of downforce and from that moment on I was driving in no man’s land. It was a matter of damage limitation.”
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Hamilton was especially frustrated because after the sprint he had made adjustments for qualifying and was much more satisfied with the car. “I think we made progress towards qualifying and the laps to the starting grid felt really strong,” he said. “I already felt we would be strong in this race. Honestly, I think without that damage we could have fought for the win. It’s a shame, because this result does not reflect the hard work the team has put in. So yes, a weekend to forget quickly. We move on and try to get more out of the next race.”
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