Lewis Hamilton teases ‘different approach’ for next F1 race after disappointing Miami GP
TL;DR
Lewis Hamilton plans a 'different approach' for the upcoming F1 race in Canada after finishing sixth at the Miami Grand Prix. He struggled with pace and faced damage to his car during the race.
Key points
- Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the Miami Grand Prix
- He plans a different approach for the next race in Canada
- Hamilton faced car damage after contact with Franco Colapinto
Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in Miami (Getty)
Lewis Hamilton revealed he will be taking a “different approach” for the next F1 race in Canada after a disappointing weekend at the Miami Grand Prix.
The 41-year-old, who had looked revitalised after a strong start to the 2026 season following a chastening debut year for Ferrari, struggled throughout the race weekend at Miami Gardens and was short on pace compared to teammate Charles Leclerc.
After first-lap contact with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, Hamilton’s Ferrari car was severely damaged and he failed to make any ground on the pacesetters ahead of him. He crossed the line in seventh, upgraded to sixth after Leclerc’s 20-second post-race penalty.
However, Hamilton insists the weekend in Miami will “not define” his Ferrari team and as he heads to Montreal in three weeks – a circuit where he won his first race back in 2007 – the seven-time world champion hinted he will change tack at the Canadian Grand Prix.
"A challenging weekend for us,” Hamilton said on Instagram. “With the contact, I was pretty much stuck in no man's land and couldn't extract more from the car.
"Tough to take especially given all the hard work the team has put in, but this won't define us. It's how we keep going. We're taking what we can from these past few days and putting everything else behind us. We move forward."
The Briton also told Sky Sports F1: "I'm going to have a different approach for the next race. The way we're preparing at the moment is not helping. We'll see how that goes for the next race.
"Obviously, it's not a good weekend at all, no-man's land in both races. Particularly with the damage, there was nothing I could do. Really unfortunate because the team worked so hard so to come away with so few points… we have to move on from here.
"It was just contact. I was unlucky with Max spinning and I had to go to the right of him. I had a good tTurn one and I was in a good position and then the only place I could go was right.
"I lost positions from there and then I think it was Franco that hit me and I lost a lot of performance from there."
Hamilton is now fifth in the championship standings, eight points off teammate Leclerc and 49 behind leader Kimi Antonelli, who replaced him at Mercedes last year.
Q&A
What did Lewis Hamilton say about his performance in the Miami GP?
Lewis Hamilton expressed that he will take a 'different approach' for the next race after a disappointing performance in Miami.
How did Lewis Hamilton finish in the Miami Grand Prix?
Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the Miami Grand Prix, moving up from seventh due to a penalty assessed to teammate Charles Leclerc.
What caused Lewis Hamilton's struggles during the Miami GP?
Hamilton struggled with pace throughout the race weekend and suffered damage to his car after first-lap contact with Alpine's Franco Colapinto.
