A gesture of irritation marked the end of the first lap of the Miami Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton showed the middle finger to Argentine Franco Colapinto after an intense duel on the track.
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The incident happened when the Ferrari driver tried to overtake the young Alpine driver at turn 11 of the Miami International Autodrome. Colapinto resisted the maneuver and there was contact between the two.
Although it was not shown in the live broadcast, Hamilton was reportedly unhappy with the incident, as his car suffered damage and lost between 15 and 20 points of downforce, which compromised his pace throughout the 57 laps of the race.
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The seven-time world champion finished seventh on the track but moved up to sixth after a 20-second penalty was applied to his teammate, Charles Leclerc.
Right behind, Colapinto closed the race in a remarkable weekend, achieving the best result of his Formula 1 career. The 22-year-old also outperformed Pierre Gasly and scored six important points for Alpine, which reached fifth place in the constructors’ championship with 23 points after four rounds.
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