Lewis Hamilton stripped of lap time at Miami sprint qualifying

Track limits played a significant role during sprint qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix, with several drivers seeing their lap times deleted. Among them was Lewis Hamilton, although the deletion did not ultimately affect his starting position.



Hamilton Among Offenders at Turn 17



The seven-time world champion was caught exceeding track limits at Turn 17, leading to the removal of one of his lap times. Fortunately for Hamilton, the lap wasn’t his fastest, so he retained his seventh-place grid slot for the sprint race.



Isack Hadjar was another driver impacted by the strict enforcement. Early in the session, the RB driver lost his 1:29.901 lap time due to a similar track limits breach at Turn 17.



Carlos Sainz also had his struggles, running wide at Turn 15, which cost him a lap time. The incident capped off a tough session for the Spaniard, who failed to progress to SQ3.



Ferrari’s Underwhelming Sprint Qualifying



Ferrari endured a frustrating session, with both drivers finishing in the lower end of the top 10. Charles Leclerc ended up sixth, just ahead of Hamilton, while Sainz’s early exit reflected deeper issues.



Post-session, Hamilton offered an honest assessment of Ferrari’s form:




“It was a better session. P1 was probably a bit better, the car was a bit better, the car was a bit nicer to drive. We are just lacking speed but we just keep working from there.”




Leclerc echoed the sentiment, acknowledging that despite executing a good lap, the car’s pace wasn’t there:




“The lap was good. But the pace is just not at all there for now, so it’s a bit annoying but it’s the way it is for now.”





“I’ll try my best tomorrow to try to do something special with the start, but to be honest, there’s not much room for improvement today. It was just… that’s the pace of the car.”




Focus Shifts to Sprint Race Performance



With track limits clearly enforced and Ferrari facing pace issues, both Hamilton and Leclerc will be hoping for a better showing during the sprint race itself. The midfield remains tightly packed, offering opportunities for position gains with a strong start.
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