Hamilton fires back at Red Bull after “disrespectful” taunt

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko mocked that Hamilton should have considered retirement at the end of last season after his difficult start to 2022.

Hamilton had been lapped by Max Verstappen at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

On Friday evening he was fourth fastest in the second practice session, with Mercedes teammate George Russell going fastest, in a promising start to the Miami weekend.

• F1 Miami Grand Prix Practice 2 results - George Russell fastest
• Charles Leclerc edges first-ever Miami practice

The seven-time world champion has now said to Sky Sports ahead of the Miami Grand Prix: "People always love you when you're up, and love to kick you when you're down. It's a part of life.

"Naturally, I've seen some people I've grown up admiring as a kid and even in the sport, that have come out with some things, some disrespectful, or not particularly respectful of my name.

"For me, I have to make sure I use that as fuel. I'm putting that into the pot, and I'm going to turn that into a positive and come back stronger. We are going to come back stronger as a team.

"Four bad races, or five, six, seven, 10 bad races is not going to stop me doing what I love doing. It's not going to stop me in my tracks.

"I've been racing for 29 years and I've had way more difficult times than this and bounced back. It's not how you fall, it's how you get up.

"Nothing you say or do is going to stop me in my tracks."

Red Bull’s Marko, when asked what Hamilton might be thinking after being lapped by Verstappen at Imola, replied: “I mean he was lapped by us… so, maybe he should have stopped last year, he is thinking, maybe.”

Hamilton then posted on social media: “Working on my masterpiece, I’ll be the one to decide when it’s finished.”

Former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen has said about Hamilton this season: “For Lewis, this is a disaster. And with George [Russell] being ahead, it’s even worse.

“I wonder how Lewis behaves in the team meetings – I bet he’s sulking. I can imagine the sulking. There’s lots of complaining and whining.

“And now starts the natural thought process of drivers. ‘Should I go somewhere else?’

“It’s a fact. He’s been at Mercedes for years and won multiple championships. Now that things are not going well, he’ll start thinking of switching teams.”

Is Hamilton in among the best three drivers in F1?

Martin Brundle, in a column for Sky Sports, was asked who he thought the best three drivers in the sport were.

He replied: "The top three drivers in F1? That's tough!

"I think Max... Charles... and then I'm looking at Lewis, George [Russell] or Lando [Norris] as being the third. But I rate Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso could be up there too!

"A top three is really hard as you've got to leave out an absolutely world class driver. Can I do top five?!"

Hamilton criticises jewellery ban

Hamilton arrived to the track in Miami on Friday wearing eight rings, four necklaces, two earrings, a bracelet and three watches despite new FIA regulations on jewellery.

New F1 race director Niels Wittich has added the ban on wearing jewellery to the scrutineering process.

Hamilton has a two-race medical exemption for a nose ring which he says cannot be removed - but later compromised by removing ear piercings.

“I couldn’t get any more jewellery on today,” Hamilton laughed.

“I feel like it’s almost like a step backwards, if you think about the steps we are taking as a sport, and the more important causes that we need to be focused on.”