Martin Brundle says Lewis Hamilton was ‘curiously uncompetitive’ in Miami despite suffering damage

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Martin Brundle has claimed that Lewis Hamilton was ‘curiously uncompetitive’ during the Miami Grand Prix despite suffering damage in the opening lap.

Having qualified sixth, Hamilton was looking to use his Ferrari’s strong launch to make up places into the first corner.

However, Hamilton’s race was impacted at Turn 11 after Alpine driver Franco Colapinto made contact with the Brit’s Ferrari, leaving the SF-26 with damage. 

Despite being hit with a loss of downforce, Hamilton managed to hold his place as he took the chequered flag in sixth, one place ahead of Colapinto.

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Martin Brundle says Lewis Hamilton was ‘curiously uncompetitive’ in Miami

Writing in his latest race review for Sky Sports, Brundle labelled Hamilton’s sixth-placed finish as ‘curiously uncompetitive’ despite clear damage suffered by the seven-time world champion.

Brundle also touched on the battle between Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, with the Monegasque making a costly mistake during the last lap, which resulted in a 20-second penalty and an eighth-placed finish.

Brundle wrote: “Piastri would pass Leclerc for the final podium spot on the penultimate lap. Charles was being compliant, assuming he would have the power in his Ferrari to repass the young Australian on the final lap.

“Sadly for Leclerc, he would then spin, clout the barrier and damage his car, and limp over the line, only to then be penalised 20 seconds for cutting chicanes on the final tour in a desperate and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stay ahead of Russell and Verstappen.

“Leclerc would be classified a despondent eighth. Lewis Hamilton would finish a curiously uncompetitive sixth in his Ferrari, leaving Franco Colapinto in seventh for what was his most convincing F1 event to date and very timely for him.”

Which F1 team were the biggest disappointment at the upgrade-heavy Miami Grand Prix? 📊

Data from @FDataAnalysis

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Lewis Hamilton stuck in ‘no man’s land’ after contact with Franco Colapinto

Speaking after the race, Hamilton admitted the Miami weekend ending was ‘tough’ to take after a promising start to the 2026 season.

The 41-year-old also hinted at a different approach for the next race, which will be the Canadian Grand Prix.

As reported by The Independent, Hamilton said: “A challenging weekend for us. With the contact, I was pretty much stuck in no man’s land and couldn’t extract more from the car.

“Tough to take especially given all the hard work the team has put in, but this won’t define us. It’s how we keep going. We’re taking what we can from these past few days and putting everything else behind us. We move forward.

“I’m going to have a different approach for the next race. The way we’re preparing at the moment is not helping. We’ll see how that goes for the next race.”