Lewis Hamilton plays the 'shrimp', Aston Martin in 'a deep coma': Italian media react to the Miami Grand Prix

Last weekend's Miami Grand Prix saw Kimi Antonelli make history once again as Lewis Hamilton was faced with the daunting reality that Ferrari may not be as competitive as they first seemed in 2026.

After a lacklustre maiden campaign with the Scuderia in 2025, things seemed to be on an upwards trajectory for the seven-time champion and the Maranello-based outfit early on in the new regulations era.

But after a five-week enforced break, Ferrari seem to have lost their spark.

Mercedes star Antonelli on the other hand further cemented his position as the youngest F1 championship leader in the sport's history, with his Miami Grand Prix victory allowing him to extend his lead to 20 points over team-mate and rival George Russell.

The hype around the Italian sensation continues to build, and he is now the only driver ever to convert his first three consecutive career poles into race wins.

Italian sporting fans have been sent into a frenzy by the trend that has seen Antonelli's first three grand prix victories fall on the same day that countryman and tennis star Jannik Sinner achieved victory in Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid.

So it's no surprise that Italian publication Corriere della Sera got wrapped up in the celebrations, scoring Antonelli a perfect 100 on their Miami GP scorecards.

But how did the other F1 stars fare?

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton merely 'surviving' at Ferrari as F1 legend hit by chronic issue

F1 Miami GP in the eyes of Italian media

Let's start with the fact that Antonelli's '100' score is way above any others on the list (naturally, everyone else appeared to have been scored out of 10).

Hamilton was awarded a measly five for his P6 finish (and let's not forget he was bumped up a place thanks to the 20-second penalty for team-mate Charles Leclerc).

But as Corriere della Sera put it, Sunday's race proved: "Lewis Hamilton fa il gambero," a saying which directly translates to "Lewis Hamilton plays the shrimp." In other words, he is going backwards.

The 41-year-old's full Miami GP full scorecard read: "With his car damaged at the start following contact with Colapinto, he couldn’t have gone far. And indeed he didn’t, making the best of a bad situation to do what he could under the circumstances: sixth place, following Leclerc’s retirement.

"The impression remains that he is taking a step backwards (or rather, on the ‘Rossa’) compared to the promising signs shown in the early races."

So, if Antonelli is top of the class and Hamilton is suffering in the midfield, who does that leave at the bottom of the rankings?

Well that would be Aston Martin.

Despite the Miami GP being the first time that the struggling Silverstone outfit actually managed to get both cars to finish a grand prix in 2026, their Corriere della Sera scorecard still read 'zero'.

"The team that was supposed to take the world by storm, thanks to the genius of Adrian Newey, remains in a deep coma, making a complete fool of itself," Italian media reported.

"The point is that if you’re in such a state, despite having the king of designers on board, the outlook is bleak. Unless Newey, now with his back against the wall and his reputation in tatters, pulls a rabbit out of the hat: he’s done it before, but there’s no guarantee he’ll manage it again."

I think it's safe to say that Italian F1 media have ruled out an improvement for Newey's Aston Martin squad this side of Christmas.

READ MORE: Hamilton admits being in Ferrari 'no-man's land'

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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