Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari drew significant attention during the Miami Grand Prix due to the seven-time world champion`s noticeably frustrated radio communications.
Following a different tyre strategy compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc, Hamilton quickly closed the gap after the race`s single pit stop phase. He became frustrated when the team didn`t immediately allow him past Leclerc to challenge Kimi Antonelli`s Mercedes for sixth place.
Hamilton sent multiple messages expressing his impatience as the pit wall delayed, initially denied, and eventually approved his request. By the time permission was granted, Hamilton felt his tyres had already lost too much performance.
His remarks included calling the decision-making “not good teamwork” and referencing a previous situation in the Chinese Grand Prix where he had promptly moved aside for a faster Leclerc.
During Ferrari`s internal discussions over his request, Hamilton`s frustration turned sarcastic: “Have a tea break while you`re at it, come on!”
Later in the race, when Ferrari asked Hamilton to let Leclerc re-pass as the Monegasque driver showed stronger pace, the Briton sarcastically questioned if they also wanted him to “let Sainz through as well,” seemingly referring to a Williams car trailing the Ferraris.
After the race, Hamilton downplayed the radio exchanges, stating he told Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur not to “be so sensitive.” He maintained he would not apologize for his comments.
“I could have said way worse things on the radio,” Hamilton commented. “You`ve got to understand, we`re under a huge amount of pressure in the cars, you`re never going to get the most peaceful messages come through in the heat of the battle.”
What fueled Hamilton`s frustrated radio messages?
According to Ted Kravitz, there are three potential explanations for Hamilton`s “sassy and sarcastic” tone over the radio.
Ted suggested: “It`s the first time that Lewis was on the end, potentially the wrong end, of the famous Ferrari strategy, `we`ll get back to you`, that has amused us and infuriated the likes of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc before.”
The first scenario is that Hamilton feels more secure and confident within the team, making him comfortable expressing himself without fearing repercussions.
Scenario two posits that he might be unhappy with the current operations and wants to help improve the team, potentially encouraging the strategy department to be more decisive and better integrated with the race engineers.
“And the third scenario,” Ted added, “is that maybe Lewis doesn`t care anymore, isn`t happy, and is just happy to criticise them. I don`t think that`s the case but you could put it forward as a reason.”
Identifying “You Guys”: Hamilton`s Target of Frustration
Martin Brundle highlighted Hamilton`s use of the phrase “you guys” when expressing his frustration. Ted Kravitz believes this was directed at Ferrari`s strategy department, led by Ravin Jain, rather than Hamilton`s race engineer, Riccardo Adami.
Ted explained: “I think that`s because the strategy department is so compartmentalised at Ferrari from the race engineers.” He noted that while race engineers like Brian Bozzi and Riccardo Adami execute strategy, they lack autonomy, unlike engineers in teams like McLaren where strategy is more integrated and discussed openly.
Kravitz questioned why the strategy department wasn`t better prepared for a likely scenario like Hamilton starting on hard tyres and switching to mediums. He feels the separation leads to delays.
“I think it`s more separated,” Ted concluded. “I think that`s why he said, `you guys`. He`s saying: `You strategy guys, in your little bunker there, where it takes 10 minutes for anything to get through to you, hurry up, get on it!`”
Brundle`s Take: Ferrari`s Struggles and Avoiding Panic
Martin Brundle believes the underlying cause of Hamilton`s frustration stems from Ferrari`s disappointing performance this season. After his high-profile move from Mercedes, expectations were high for Ferrari to challenge for the championship.
However, apart from a victory in the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint race, Ferrari has not been a contender for wins in the main races this year, securing only one podium finish (Leclerc in Saudi Arabia).
“I think it`s quite telling, the sarcasm of the messages, and how upset Lewis is,” Brundle commented. He noted Hamilton`s frustration at being stuck behind slower cars like Esteban Ocon`s Haas, a situation far from where Hamilton expected to be this season.
Despite Ferrari`s difficulties and increasing scrutiny on team principal Fred Vasseur ahead of their home race, Brundle cautioned against making hasty decisions.
“Of course they`re going to be super unhappy at Ferrari. They expect to be contenders for the championship, especially with a line-up of Leclerc and Hamilton,” Brundle stated.
“What they mustn`t do is behave like a football team and fire the manager, fire everybody, and change for the sake of change. That won`t improve anything at all. We have seen teams make that mistake.” He emphasized that the core issue is the car`s pace, noting Ferrari was effectively the fifth-fastest team in Miami.
“They`ve got to understand that. If they could change the car, they would, if they knew what to do with it. There will be some heavy conversations at Ferrari, there has to be,” Brundle concluded.
