Lewis Hamilton wanted 'Valtteri Bottas' solution to Ferrari team orders drama

Lewis Hamilton has explained how he wanted Ferrari to deploy a Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-style team orders solution in the Miami Grand Prix.

After switching to the medium tyres behind the virtual safety car in Miami, Hamilton was able to close up on the duelling pair of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, with a battle between the trio ending with the Ferrari pair scything past.

Hamilton then wanted to be waved through to try and attack Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes for sixth place on his fresher tyres, although Ferrari dithered on making the call, leading to exasperation from Hamilton. 

The pair did swap, but were then ordered back into their original positions, with Leclerc taking seventh to Hamilton's eighth, with former Ferrari driver Sainz banging wheels with current Ferrari one Hamilton into Turn 17 on the final lap. 

Afterwards, Hamilton explained how he had wanted a situation such as the one he and Bottas deployed at the 2017 Hungarian GP for Mercedes.

There, running fourth, Hamilton was waved through by Bottas to try and attack Kimi Raikkonen for second place, under the proviso that if he did not pass the Ferrari, he would cede the place back to Bottas.

He did in out of the final corner, with Hamilton believing something similar was in the offering in the chase against Antonelli.

"This weekend, whilst we were not as quick as we had been, I feel like I had a better weekend in general.

"The result might not necessarily show it,  but I was 12th and it is hard to overtake here, I got onto the medium tyre and the car came alive, I felt super optimistic in that moment.

"I was thinking we could get up to sixth or something like that, but I lost a lot of time in those laps Charles and I were dancing, I was clearly quicker in that moment.

"The decision did not come quick enough, but I have no problems with either Charles or the team. 

"At the end of the day, it would have been great if we could have maybe done with Valtteri and I did in the past: move aside to see if I can catch [Antonell], and if I can't, I give the place back. 

"But ultimately it didn't work out as we were not quick enough."