Lewis Hamilton reveals he was very close to suffering the same fate as Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc at Miami GP sprint

Lewis Hamilton nearly became a second Ferrari casualty in a dramatic Miami Grand Prix sprint that saw mixed weather, chaotic strategy calls, and a costly crash for Charles Leclerc, even before lights went out. The British driver was not only able to walk away unscathed but also registered a brilliant podium finish.

Hamilton, who started seventh on the grid, revealed after the race that he was almost caught in a similar spin that took his teammate on the formation lap. The seven-time world champion's remarks came during the post-sprint media session, where he expressed both surprise and relief after scoring his second top-three finish (Sprint) of the year:

"When we all went out for the formation lap... obviously Charles had that moment. I'd exactly the same moment as I was right behind him, and somehow it just stopped, going towards the wall right at the last moment. So, that was nearly both of us out. To come from that to then get these points, I'm really grateful," said Hamilton while interacting with the media after the race.

Saturday's 100-kilometer sprint race at the Miami International Autodrome was poised for unpredictability with rain sweeping across the track just before the formation lap.

Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old sensation, had stunned the paddock by taking pole position ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, while Max Verstappen lined up in fourth and Hamilton in seventh. However, before the sprint began, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who made headlines first.

As the cars headed out for the formation lap on intermediate tires, Leclerc lost control between turns three and four in the slippery conditions and slid straight into the wall, ending his sprint before it had even begun. Hamilton, who was directly behind, admitted he nearly followed his teammate out of the session.

Leclerc's incident prompted an immediate red flag before the race started, with the Monegasque driver left as a helpless spectator as his #16 SF-25 was retrieved from the barriers. Ferrari's early afternoon looked disastrous, but Lewis Hamilton's turnaround gave the team something to cheer about.

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Lewis Hamilton's early switch to slicks pays off as he charges to the podium

Lewis Hamilton (44) leads Alex Albon (23) during the Miami Sprint. Source: Getty

Starting from P7, Lewis Hamilton initially struggled to get temperature into his intermediates, falling behind and coming under pressure from the likes of Alex Albon and Fernando Alonso. As the track began to dry, he became the first among the front-running cars to gamble on slicks on lap 12, changing to softs.

The Ferrari #44 driver rejoined 17th place but had already surged into third by lap 14, after a blistering charge through the field. A standout moment came as he overtook Max Verstappen around the outside to take the third position. Explaining his decision to pit early, Lewis Hamilton discussed his troubles with the intermediate tires in the post-sprint media session:

"Got into the inters and I was just sliding around and had the Williams behind me and another one behind him... So,'I've got to roll the dice. I was full lock through Turn 12 and full lock through Turn 16 and it still wasn't turning. So I was like, 'Let's just go for it."

Hamilton admitted he might have benefited from an earlier stop, but was satisfied with how things turned out. He added that the McLarens were likely out of reach regardless, due to the early gap they built.

Meanwhile, a crash for Fernando Alonso prompted a late Safety Car, neutralizing any remaining on-track battles. Lando Norris took the sprint win ahead of Oscar Piastri, with Hamilton rounding off the top three.