Lewis Hamilton questions the Ferrari leadership at the F1 2025 Miami GP after the team elected not to use an extra set of fresh soft tyres in qualifying, contributing to his early exit as he lines up 12th on the grid on May 4.
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion struggled for pace through Sprint Qualifying but managed to secure third in the Sprint Race, a result that had the potential to kick-start his and his team’s weekend.
Yet any optimism quickly vanished in qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix as it emerged the Scuderia was the fifth quickest car over one lap, behind McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and now Williams.
Not only were they slow, narrowly avoiding a double-Q2 exit by just 0.039, they struggled for execution once again; leading to Hamilton to wonder why they didn’t use the tyres available as he questions the Ferrari leadership choices at the F1 2025 Miami GP.
“We should have,” Hamilton said to Sky Sports F1, when questioned about using extra tyres. “It doesn’t make sense when you’re struggling so much not to put two new sets on or utilise those sets.
“But that’s stuff we will chat about in the garage.”
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Hamilton admits Ferrari are struggling
Although he is frustrated with the decision-making of his team, the 40-year-old ultimately didn’t get the lap on the board, however, which proved to be the decisive factor.
A lock-up put him on the backfoot in Q2, which was then followed up by a snap of oversteer. Together, both of these factors saw him miss out on progression by 0.039 although he did show competitive pace with Charles Leclerc prior.
But Ferrari staring down the double barrel of an early bath isn’t what the team expected coming into the campaign, and things seem to be trending worse as they slip further away from McLaren and Red Bull. It’s no surprise the Brit confesses they’re struggling.
“We will keep trying. We are only six races in but we are struggling big time,” Hamilton added at the Miami International Autodrome. “We are trying our hardest not to make big set-up changes but no matter what we do it’s so inconsistent every time we go out.
“We have problems with brakes, problems with this instability that we are struggling with and we are generally not quick enough. Just to get through to Q3 is tough for us.
“Once you are on the backfoot, it’s hard to pick up the points. Tomorrow will be hard work but we will try again. It’s the same thing for me, I’m used to it but I will keep trying.
“And I will be back at the factory next week and just keep going.”
