Lewis Hamilton hit with massive penalty as F1 stewards change Miami GP Sprint result

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton had a Championship point agonisingly taken away from him by stewards after receiving a hefty penalty for speeding in the pits during the Miami Grand Prix sprint race on Saturday.

It was apparent that Mercedes could be in for a tough weekend when Hamilton and his Silver Arrows team-mate, George Russell, qualified 12th and 11th respectively for Saturday's sprint.

Hamilton at least managed to make up places with a bold line down the inside going into the first corner at the Miami International Autodrome. The ensuing tangle led to a collision which saw Lando Norris and Lance Stroll retire from the race.

As drivers ran through the pits to give marshals the opportunity to recover Norris' McLaren from the track, Hamilton was investigated for speeding.

And while the seven-time world champion kicked on from his poor grid position to cross the line in eighth, any hint of joy was swiftly taken away from him thanks to a drive-through penalty, which was converted to a 20-second time penalty at the end of the race.

The single point Hamilton earned by finishing P8 was consequently taken away, and he dropped down to 16th in the standings. There wasn't much consolation on the other side of the Mercedes garage, either, as Russell stumbled home a disappointing 14th.

The altered result worked out perfectly for Yuki Tsunoda, who was promoted to eighth place and awarded a valuable point. That was the cherry on the cake for an RB team who were already patting themselves on the back after Daniel Ricciardo finished a dizzying fourth.

Kevin Magnussen fought hard to keep Hamilton behind during the sprint in an effort to protect his Haas team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg. The Dane received no fewer than three penalties, worth a total of 25 seconds, for his controversial driving style, and admitted after the race that his punishments were 'well deserved' and he 'had to play the game'.

Upon hearing Magnussen's comments, Hamilton told Sky Sports: "He said that?! I think that's pretty honest of him and I think that's pretty cool. We had a good race. It was a little bit on the edge in some places but that's what I love. I love racing hard so, for me, I wasn't really p****d... sorry, frustrated or anything. But yeah, that's what you do to work as a team so bravo."

On his quest for a fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship, Max Verstappen once again dominated proceedings with a routine sprint victory. Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez sealed the other two podium spots and were followed home by Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Hulkenberg and Tsunoda.