Hamilton was 0.829s off the pace set by Ferra♈ri’s Charles Leclerc i🀅n Saturday’s qualifying as he finished sixth, while Russell exited in Q2.

It had previously appeared like Mercedes might have a promi🥀sing weekend with a solid Friday practice after their poor start to the 2022 campaign.

• 'I f****** it' - Max Vers🐽tappen error as Charles Leclerc claims pole
• F1 Miami GP qualifying full results
• Watches added to FIA jewellery ban

Se𓂃ven-time world champion Hamilton told Sky: “I had a mu🌳ch better qualifying session than I’ve had for the past three races so I am grateful for that.

“I’ll take it. We will keeꩵp on chipping away. Keep working at it.

“There is so♓ much amazing work going on in the background. Everyone is workin🐬g so hard.

“Unfortunately I don’t think we are necessarily moving forwards at🔥 the rate that we would like to.

“The gap is similar to what it was at th🌼e start of the year.

“Eventually, we will get there.

“It has not felt better this weekend. But once I got the tyres into a better place, it was a little bit beꦓtter.

“Race pace? I have no idea.”

Can Mercedes fix issues before F1 Miami GP?

Mercedes team principal Wolff added to Sky: “We were completely of🐬f with the experimen🌟ts that we did.

“The car is still bouncing like a kangaroo.

“The drivers are not happy with it.”

Russell said: “The car felt different today than it did in FP2. The car struggle🅘d today with porpoising. I couldn’t attack any of the corners. There was potential there. We were quick but it got away from us today. I don’t know what happened.

“It is inconsistent. We thought we were conservative to avoid porpoising. It does✤n’t make a lot of s♍ense at the moment.

“Yest🥀erday we looked like we were in a fight for pole and today we qualify P12 which is our worst of the year.

“The performance is flip-flopping.

“I am disappointed to miss out on P3.”

Hamilton criticises FIA jewellery ban

The FIA have emphasised that watches are part of their jewellery ban - a day after Lewis Hamilton arrived at 🎉the F1 Miami Grand Prix wearing three watches.

"In the interest of safety, watches will be considered as jewellery," a new note from race director Niels Wittich said on S෴aturday.

Hamilton had turned up to Miami decorated by jewel༒lery including eight rings, four necklaces, two earrings, a bracelet and three watches. 

He🎉 has a two-race exemption for Miami a𒅌nd Spain for his nose ring which he says cannot be removed, but he did show some compromise by removing his ear piercings on Friday after a meeting with FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem.

Drivers will reportedly face a major fine an♐d even a points deduction if they do not coꦅmply with the FIA’s rules.

“W🏅hat was needed was a dialogue between Lewis and ♋Mohamed,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said.

“It is clear the regulations are to protect t🌼he drivers.

“I am sure they will come to a good resolution.”

Hamilton previously said about the﷽ new FIA rules on wearing jewellery: “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. 

“I think we’ve made really gre✨at strides as a sport. This is such a small thing. I’ve been in the sport for 16 years aღnd I’ve been wearing jewellery for 16 years. In the car I only ever have my earrings on and my nose ring, of which I can’t even remove.”