Hamilton finished sixth in both back-to-back grands prix, but the combination of results was different for the Briton.

In Baku, Hamilton qualified fifth but lost his place due to an unfortunate safety car timing, which saw him trail Ferrari throughout the second half of the race Carlos Sainzunable to pass the struggling Spaniard.

But in Miami, Hamilton did emerge from a disappointing 13th in qualifying when traffic on his Q2 overlap pushed his tires outside the optimum temperature window.

In the second half of the race, Hamilton overtook his series of overtakes by winding the line Charles Leclerc Finished sixth again. After the match, the seven-time world champion said he was enjoying his comeback despite the end result being the same as in Baku a week earlier.

“It was huge just to be able to (overtake). I was going backwards all the time in the sprint race and the last race, and it’s demoralizing when you’re going backwards,” he said.

“But it’s nice to have the rhythm, to see the cars ahead, see the progress, and know we’re going to fight people. We also had a few overtakes, and that’s what I live for.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14

Photography: Steve Etherington/ motorsport pictures

The main difference for Hamilton is that this time mercedes benz able to fight ferrari That was nowhere near its lap speed as the Scuderia continued to struggle with an inconsistent race pace.

“Honestly, it was great to see Ferrari lead and catch them bit by bit. It was impressive how fast they were on one lap, but I don’t know what happened in that race,” Hamilton explained .

“It’s been great to come here from 13th and get back into their hustle and bustle. I think it would be easier and smoother for me if I qualified where I should have qualified, but I prefer it this way. The days where there’s a little bit of adversity, you have to put it all together and deliver.”

Miami is the last race for the Mercedes W14 to release specs, and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix follows in two weeks with major changes to the floor, sidepods and suspension.

The Brackley team hopes its new-look W14 will provide a better platform on which to develop and alleviate some of the car’s handling issues for Hamilton and team-mate George Russell.