Lewis Hamilton’s apologies to Ferrari after Franco Colapinto incident
Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of a strong result at the Miami Grand Prix were dashed almost immediately following an opening-lap collision with Franco Colapinto.
Ferrari arrived in Florida armed with significant upgrades to the SF-26, but the seven-time world champion was unable to extract the potential of the new package. After a hard-fought battle with Max Verstappen in the Sprint race yielded only a P7 finish, Hamilton mirrored that result on Sunday following the early damage to his car.
Hamilton Apologises After Colapinto Incident
Heading into Turn 11 on the opening lap, Hamilton came to blows with the Alpine of Franco Colapinto. The British driver suffered immediate damage to the floor and left sidepod of his SF-26, quickly reporting the issue to the pit wall.
"Got damage. I’ve definitely lost something from the car, I’m pretty sure. Left side," Hamilton relayed over the team radio.
His race engineer, Carlo Santi, confirmed the grim diagnosis: "I see damaged side pod and floor. Nothing we can do."
The aerodynamic penalty was severe. Hamilton soon complained about a critical lack of downforce, stating, "Don’t have the downforce to keep up with these guys…"
Resigned to a difficult afternoon, he added, "Going to be a long race with this damage." Santi attempted to maintain morale, replying, "We can do it, I’m sure."
Recognising the impact on the team's weekend, Hamilton later apologised for the contact: "Sorry about the damage…"
Santi quantified the aerodynamic loss, responding: "Yeah, we see Lewis. It’s 10 to 15 points [loss]. It’s more high speed than in low speed and there is a Marshal on track."
Ferrari Fail to Capitalise on Upgrades
The Miami Grand Prix ultimately proved to be a bitterly disappointing day for the Scuderia, compounded by Charles Leclerc coming home in P6.
Leclerc had seized the lead at the start and maintained his advantage at the safety car restart. However, the Monegasque driver was soon reeled in and passed by Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli.
A podium finish still looked to be on the cards until Oscar Piastri found a way through in the closing stages. The situation then unravelled completely on the final lap. Leclerc spun at Turn 3, making contact with the wall and sustaining damage to his own SF-26.
The late error dropped Leclerc behind George Russell and Max Verstappen, forcing him to settle for a mere eight points in a chaotic climax to the race.
Hamilton expressed shock at his teammate's final classification, capping off a weekend where Ferrari missed a massive opportunity to secure a substantial haul of points despite their highly anticipated upgrade package.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.