Lewis Hamilton defended by his fans after middle finger gesture at Franco Colapinto during Miami GP

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Formula 1 fans have come to Lewis Hamilton’s defence on social media after he appeared to brandish his middle finger at Franco Colapinto during the Miami Grand Prix.

The Ferrari and Alpine drivers made contact on the opening lap of the race, leaving the former with damage to his left sidepod and his floor.

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Hamilton complained about being down on power during the Miami Grand Prix, which was an issue he faced five weeks ago at Suzuka. The damage from the Colapinto crash might have been a factor as he crossed the line P7.

He was promoted to sixth after Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc was handed a 20-second time penalty for exceeding track limits following his last-lap spin into the wall. Hamilton apologised to Ferrari for the damage to his car, but he was clearly not happy with Colapinto.

Lewis Hamilton defended by fans for flipping off Franco Colapinto at the Miami Grand Prix

Following the contact, which was deemed a racing incident by the stewards, Hamilton passed Colapinto down the back straight. Footage from his onboard camera circulated on social media, with the Ferrari driver appearing to flip off the Argentine as he drove past.

Many fans on X (formerly Twitter) defended Hamilton’s actions, calling them justified as the damage to his car ruined a possible top result.

One fan commented: “Lewis [three crying emojis] deserved completely I fear,” and another agreed: “A little over a season in a Ferrari and he (rightfully) started flipping people off.”

“Half his car was missing that’s why,” said one user. “He was having a good chance of top 3 or at least a good competition if there hadn’t been the damage,” argued another.

“I would [have] driven myself into that Alpine if I were Lewis but I’m not a world champion so I leave it to that. Car was compromised from lap 1. Colapinto deserved that,” wrote one fan.

Another said: “Bigger man than most. Have seen some drivers ram into others for less and lose 2 points and then lose the world championship because of that.”

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Franco Colapinto previously said he idolised Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton’s response to Colapinto may not sit well with the Alpine driver. After all, the young Argentine admitted that the seven-time champion was his ‘idol’ growing up.

After the pair’s battle at last year’s Austrian GP, Colapinto recalled the amazing moment he shared with Hamilton as they flew home together on the latter’s private jet: “Yeah, it was nice,” he said via Crash.

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“Lewis is a great guy and I had the best flight of my life with him. It was very special and very unique. You all know that he was my idol since I was very young, with Senna as well, and to be able to fly with him and have a bit of a chat.

“He asked if anyone was flying to London and I said I’m going to London but on EasyJet and he came back saying he had a lot of space on his plane and invited me to go. It was quite special. Also flying private for the first time, two very unique experiences and a lot of stories from Lewis. A very special flight.

“He’s a great guy and I was very, very impressed by how he is as a person and how he is as a professional. A lot to admire from the personal part from the sportsman. It was great, a dream come true and didn’t have to fly on my EasyJet flight.”