Lewis Hamilton gives Ferrari clear instruction after 'no-man's land' pain

Lewis Hamilton has called on Ferrari to reduce drag from the SF-26 after a disappointing Miami Grand Prix weekend that saw the seven-time F1 drivers' champion finish seventh in both the sprint and main race.

He was promoted to sixth the full-distance following team-mate Charles Leclerc's post-race 20-second time penalty, but the result offered little consolation after a challenging weekend for the 41-year-old in Florida.

The British driver's difficulties were compounded by first-lap contact with Alpine's Franco Colapinto, who finished one place behind him.

The collision caused damage to Hamilton's car, costing him 15-20 points of downforce and severely hampering his race pace.

Despite Ferrari arriving in Miami with 11 different upgrades, the SF-26 struggled for straight-line speed, a deficit Hamilton wants addressed before the next round.

"I'm looking forward to it," the 105-time grand prix winner told media, including RacingNews365, when asked about the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix, where he has won seven times — but not since 2019.

"But we need to see if we can cut some drag before the next race, because in a straight line.

"We've got that deficit, and so we want to have a look into that."

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton expressed frustration with the weekend's performance and the impact of the early damage to his car.

"Obviously, it wasn't a good weekend at all. Seventh and a seventh [sixth after Leclerc's time penalty], just no-man's land in both races," he said.

"But, for me, with the damage I had, there was nothing I could do, so really unfortunate because the team worked so far, so to come away with only a few points... we have to move on from it."

Take a look at the top speed data from the Miami Grand Prix, which underlines Hamilton's lack of straight-line pace.