Lewis Hamilton finished 12th in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix Saturday, failing to advance past Q2 for the first time this season as a Ferrari driver. He stated the team needs car upgrades.
Hamilton's teammate, Charles Leclerc, qualified eighth for the race. Both Ferrari cars were outqualified by the two Williams drivers, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
Leclerc also Charles Leclerc sounded an alarm regarding the SF-25's performance, expressing frustration after maximizing the car's potential still resulted in only an eighth-place start.
The seven-time champion acknowledged his Sprint race result in Miami was aided by strategy, specifically an early pit stop for slick tires. He said pure pace was not a factor.
He described the qualifying performance as a clearer picture of the car's capability. Qualifying action from Miami saw Max Verstappen secure pole position ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris.
Hamilton suggested he should have used an additional set of fresh tires during Q2 to ensure progression to the final qualifying session, as Leclerc did. Hamilton failed to make Q3 despite the differing tire strategy.
He added that tracks like Miami, with many slow-speed corners, expose weaknesses in the Ferrari package.
James Vowles, Williams team principal, received praise from Hamilton for his team's work.
Lewis Hamilton reflected on the team's standing after qualifying.
"On pure pace, I mean we were outqualified by the Williams," Hamilton said. "We are where we are. We need some upgrades, we need some improvements. We've got lots of things that need to be better."
