Miami F1 struggles feel like a “kick in the gut”

The seven-time world champion had been right behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell as they topped the timesheets in FP1, but his form fell away in the evening practice session as Hamilton ended up seventh – nearly one second adrift of pace-setter Max Verstappen.

Reflecting on the struggles to find a good balance with the car, Hamilton said that the contrast of performance over the day had been hard to take.

“We’re not particularly quick and it’s a struggle out…