Frustrated Hamilton queries team strategy

Mercedes driver angry after he finishes sixth in Miami Grand Prix behind teammate Russell

MIAMI:

A frustrated Lewis Hamilton questioned his Mercedes team's strategy on Sunday after he finished sixth behind teammate George Russell at the Miami Grand Prix.

After the fifth race of the year, Hamilton is sixth in the drivers' standings on 36 points, with fellow Briton fourth on 59.

The seven-time world champion said he was surprised to be asked if he wanted to pit for fresh tyres during a Safety Car period after 41 laps of the inaugural 67-lap race at the Miami International Autodrome, won by Max Verstappen.

"I really don't know, in that scenario I have no clue where everyone is," he explained when asked about the incident.

"When the team say 'it's your choice' -- I don't have the information to make the decision.

"That's what your job is! Make the decision for me. You've got all the details right there in front of you. I don't.

"That's what you rely on the guys for, but today they gave it to me and I didn't understand it."

The team decided not to pit Hamilton.

"It's just a bit unfortunate on the Safety Car, but at least we got points today," he said.

"We're finishing and reliability is good. We just have to keep trying. I'm excited to, at one stage, take a step forward, which we haven't yet."

He had finished a forlorn 13th two weeks previously at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Team-mate Russell made the most of the Safety Car to pit for fresh tyres and, with that advantage, was able to pass Hamilton to finish fifth.

"It's good when you battle with our team-mate," Hamilton said. "You show more respect, give more space and I enjoyed it. I think there's good respect between us and I was pushing as hard as I could."

He added that despite their improved result, the team were still struggling to unlock the performance potential of their car.

"We have a fast car in there, but we don't have the key to unlock it. There's more to come and it's frustrating."

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc leads the title race with 104 ahead of world champion Verstappen of Red Bull on 85.

Verstappen triumphs in sweltering Miami

World champion Max Verstappen resisted a late attack from series leader Charles Leclerc of Ferrari to claim an accomplished victory for Red Bull in sweltering conditions at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

In a physically exhausting race for the drivers and teams at the Miami International Autodrome, the 24-year-old Dutchman produced a mature performance to make the most of superior straight line speed in a largely processional race until a late Safety Car intervention.

His second win in succession and third of the season enabled him to trim Leclerc's advantage to 19 points in the drivers' championship. Leclerc has 104 and Verstappen 85. It was the 23rd win of the Dutchman's career.

"It was an incredible Grand Prix, very physical as well, but I think we kept it exciting until the end," said Verstappen, interviewed by retired American driver Willy T. Ribbs after the race.

When Ribbs suggested he looked ready to "get into a boxing ring", Verstappen retorted: "I think I'll stick to racing, but I appreciate boxing a lot. It felt a bit like that out there in terms of how we feel now.

"I'm incredibly happy with winning here in Miami and it was an incredible Sunday for us."

Leclerc said he felt that the Red Bull was clearly a faster car than his Ferrari in a hot and punishing race.

"It was such a difficult race, physically," said Leclerc. "We struggled quite a bit with the medium tyres, especially in the first stint, and was overtaken there. That made our race a bit more difficult from that moment onwards.

"On the hard tyre, we were very competitive and towards the end I thought I could get Max at one point, but today they had the advantage in terms of pace."

He said he hoped Ferrari would make a 'step up' with upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix later this month, but added that he had enjoyed the atmosphere generated by a sell-out crowd that was sprinkled with celebrities.

"It was fun and it's amazing to see so many people again," he said. "I keep saying it, but it's great to see so many Ferrari fans in the grandstands.

"Now, we need to keep pushing. Upgrades will be very important throughout the year and I hope that we can do a step up from the next race onwards."