Lewis Hamilton Faces Setback as Late Crash Ends Miami GP FP1 Early
Lewis Hamilton endured a challenging start to the Miami Grand Prix weekend, crashing out in the sole practice session of the sprint format, dealing another blow to his campaign with Ferrari. The British driver, who has recently been showing glimpses of resurgence—especially with his sprint victory in China—found himself back in the trenches after a late incident during FP1.
This weekend marks the fourth running of the Miami Grand Prix, held at the Miami International Autodrome, a circuit known for its tight corners and unforgiving walls. With the Miami event being part of a sprint format, teams only had one practice session before sprint qualifying later the same day on Friday, May 2, 2025. That made FP1 critical for all 10 teams, as they scrambled to gather data, test setups, and get their drivers up to speed before the competitive sessions began.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, his preparations were cut short after he was involved in a crash that brought his session—and effectively the practice period—to a premature end. While it wasn’t immediately clear how the incident unfolded, the timing of the red flag pointed to the late moments of the session. To compound matters, he ended up 13th on the timesheets, just behind fellow Briton Lando Norris in 12th.
It was a rough session overall for the British contingent. Norris, driving for McLaren, had his own share of troubles even before the crash-induced red flag. In an unusual turn of events, a flashlight was accidentally left inside his cockpit at the start of the session. The bizarre error forced Norris to pit immediately to have the object removed. This odd mistake led the FIA to summon a McLaren representative to the stewards to investigate whether the team had released the car in an unsafe condition. Despite this early disruption, Norris attempted to recover but was denied a proper flying lap due to the red flag caused by Haas rookie Ollie Bearman.
Bearman was responsible for triggering the red flag after losing control at Turn 12 and slamming into the barriers. The incident ended the session prematurely, catching several drivers off guard who were either on hot laps or preparing for final runs. As a result, the order was somewhat scrambled, with some notable performances and some surprising disappointments.
At the top of the leaderboard, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri posted the fastest time of the session, clocking in at 1:27.128. The Australian looked confident and composed, managing to hook up a clean lap before the chaos unfolded. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari followed closely in second place, just 0.356 seconds adrift, while reigning champion Max Verstappen slotted into third for Red Bull, 0.430 seconds behind the leader.
Williams continued their upward trajectory in 2025, with both drivers making it into the top five. Carlos Sainz, who made the high-profile switch to Williams this season, was fourth fastest, followed by his teammate Alex Albon. Their strong performance is a promising sign for a team long removed from consistent competitiveness.
Racing Bulls’ rookie Isack Hadjar impressed by finishing sixth, showcasing solid pace alongside more experienced drivers. Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli took seventh and ninth respectively, sandwiching Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in eighth. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten.
Behind Norris and Hamilton, the grid featured some mixed results, with experienced drivers like Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly struggling for pace. Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto in the other Kick Sauber came in 15th, ahead of Bearman, whose crash brought the session to an early end. The back of the field was occupied by the Alpine pair of Gasly and Jack Doohan, and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin, all over two seconds off the pace.
For Hamilton and Ferrari, the session was a missed opportunity. After winning the sprint race in China, hopes were high that the seven-time world champion could build momentum. However, finishing 13th in the only practice session, coupled with his crash, means Hamilton will now head into sprint qualifying with limited data and compromised confidence.
With sprint qualifying and the sprint race still to come before Sunday’s main event, there’s time for Hamilton to turn things around. But starting on the back foot in such a tightly packed midfield could make for a difficult road ahead. For now, the Miami Grand Prix weekend has started under frustrating circumstances for the former champion, as the Ferrari garage scrambles to repair the damage and refocus for what remains of the sprint weekend.
