Watch: Lewis Hamilton walking up to former Mercedes junior to congratulate him after the F1 Miami GP

Lewis Hamilton was the first to congratulate former Mercedes junior and Alpine driver Esteban Ocon scoring a solitary point at the 2024 Miami GP.

It has been a difficult start to the 2024 season for the Alpine F1 team as they have been languishing at the back of the field in the first five races and weren't competing for any points.

However, the team brought an upgrade package to the Miami Autodrome that made their chassis lighter and enabled their drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, to fight other midfield teams on the grid.

Ocon defended his P10 slot brilliantly through the race and held on to the position after Nico Hulkenberg wasn't able to catch up to him in the dying moments of the race. In the park ferme, Lewis Hamilton was quick to congratulate the French driver on his achievement and gave him a thumbs up.

As per F1.com, Esteban Ocon claimed that he was happy to score a point and get off the mark in 2024. He said:

“It is good to score a point today and get off the mark for the season. In the past few races, we have been getting closer and finally this weekend we came away with a reward, which is what the team deserves given their efforts in recent weeks. It was a very intense race from start to finish, and good battles throughout."

Lewis Hamilton congratulates Lando Norris after the latter's first win in F1

Lewis Hamilton was appreciative of McLaren driver Lando Norris's efforts at the Miami GP and clapped for him on the in-lap to congratulate him on his victory.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the seven-time world champion said:

"I am so happy for Lando and McLaren. They have both been doing a great job and they deserve today’s victory. It’s great to see McLaren so competitive. I also know how special it is to get your first Grand Prix victory so a big well done to Lando."

He added that the Miami GP was the 'best racing day' he's had in 2024:

"Today was probably the best day of racing I’ve had this year, so we just need to keep pushing. We’ve got some more small upgrades coming for Imola."

Lewis Hamilton finished P6 in the main race, which was his best finish of the season in a main race, and he was also able to consistently challenge Sergio Perez in the latter half.

He is currently P9 in the Driver's Championship with 27 points and sits six points behind Fernando Alonso and ten points behind his teammate George Russell.