Hamilton reveals the reason for his setup woes with the SF26

Lewis Hamilton left the Miami Grand Prix weekend with mixed emotions: encouraged by the progress Ferrari eventually unlocked, yet frustrated by how long it took to find it.

Across three days that swung from confusion to clarity and finally to damage limitation, the seven‑time world champion offered a remarkably candid assessment of where things went wrong — and what must change.

Hamilton’s difficulties began on Friday, when sprint qualifying exposed a fundamental issue: the SF‑26 was nowhere near the operating window he expected. The Briton later revealed that the root cause lay not in the car itself, but in the tools used to prepare it.

“If I could start with what I had today, yesterday, and had that practice of driving the car as it was today, because it was miles different from the sprint, and from yesterday. So I really need to deep on that.

"And if I'm honest, I think the simulator really sends me in the wrong direction. So I think I might cut that out now.”

Ferrari’s simulator correlation has been a recurring topic since the start of the season, but Hamilton’s comments in Miami were the clearest indication yet that the tool is actively compromising his preparation.

The 19‑lap sprint race offered little relief. Hamilton struggled again, unable to extract performance from a setup that simply did not suit the track conditions. With parc fermé lifted after the sprint, Ferrari finally had the freedom to make sweeping changes — and Hamilton seized the opportunity.

By the time the main qualifying session arrived, the SF‑26 had been transformed. Hamilton described the shift as dramatic, and his relief was evident.

“It was an improvement. We made lots of changes to the car, we didn't have software issues. So I think we progressed, we stepped forward. I think Q2 was feeling really solid, and then when I got to Q3 I just wasn't able to extract the maximum.”

The pace was there — but the execution was not fully polished. Hamilton believed a top‑three start was within reach.

“I don't feel comfortable in P6, that's not where I want to be. So quite unhappy with P6, naturally, but I'm happy that we made changes going to qualifying and we progressed. We did improve. I think top three was probably possible, so I just got to work on it.”

The frustration was not about the final position alone, but about the lost opportunity. Had Ferrari found the correct setup direction earlier, Hamilton felt the entire weekend would have unfolded differently.

Any chance of converting the improved pace into a strong race result evaporated almost immediately. Contact on the opening lap left Hamilton with damage that compromised his downforce and balance for the remaining 57 laps.

“Today’s race was affected by what happened on the opening lap, and with the damage I sustained, P7 was the best result we could achieve," Hamilton continued.

"Overall, it was a challenging weekend, but I believe we have a good car and there are some positives to take away. We just need to keep pushing, both at the factory and at the track, to keep adding performance and close the gap as we move forward.”