Lewis Hamilton's team radio sass lays bare the big issue facing Ferrari in F1 2025

New York Times

05-05-2025

MIAMI — Arriving in the media interview pen under the Hard Rock Stadium, Lewis Hamilton cut a very different demeanor after the Miami Grand Prix than his radio messages to Ferrari mid-way through Sunday's race otherwise conveyed.
Frustration over the time it took Ferrari to get Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc to swap positions during the race, and then, later, being asked to swap those places back, sparked some rather clipped radio messages from the seven-time world champion.
Advertisement
Hamilton felt he was losing too much time being stuck behind Leclerc while on fresher, quicker tires, which, if he'd stayed behind his teammate for too long, would've been past their best and any chance of catching the cars ahead lost.
Ferrari initially thought that by keeping Leclerc within one second ahead, Hamilton could use the Drag Reduction System (DRS) overtaking aid to gain more straight-line speed that would help him defend from a chasing car close behind. 'In China, I got out of the way,' Hamilton reminded his engineer, who then said they would indeed swap the order.
But Hamilton interjected: 'Have a tea break while you're at it!'
Then, after Ferrari reversed the call in the race's closing stages, Hamilton was informed of the remaining threat from Williams driver Carlos Sainz behind.
'You want me to let him past as well?' Hamilton asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.
Was it the first sign of major tension between Ferrari and Hamilton, the star driver F1's most famous team had sensationally swooped to sign for 2025? A crack in a relationship only in its sixth race weekend?
Apparently not. Hamilton insisted after the race that was simply not the case. Although he was the last of the 20 drivers to complete their media duties after opting to change out of his race overalls — and after a chat with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur — Hamilton's tone was light. The message was clear, as he claimed he 'genuinely enjoyed' the race.
But questions about the radio exchanges were inevitable.
'I didn't think the decision came quick enough,' Hamilton admitted. 'And for sure, in that time you're like, 'come on!' But yeah. That's really kind of it. I have no problems with the team or with Charles.'
This is not the first time Hamilton's radio messages with Ferrari have faced scrutiny this season. During his Ferrari debut in Australia, a chaotic wet weather race that would make a start to life with any team tricky, there were a few tense moments with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami. But Hamilton felt the messages were overblown in the media. It was all part of the getting-to-know-you stage of any new driver/engineer partnership.
But what Hamilton said in Miami seemed more pointed. It wasn't a mix-up in communication or asking for clarity. The team had all the data to make a decision, and he was pressuring Ferrari to make a call. For Hamilton, it was about creating a sense of urgency for the good of his race. He described what occurred as being 'in a panic' trying to keep the car on the road while wanting the call that would decide his race to be made.
Advertisement
'It was like, make a decision, let's go,' Hamilton said. He was asked about the 'tea break' comment. 'It was kind of like, 'we'll get back to you, mate.'' Hamilton then theatrically turned his wrist while speaking to reporters in the pen and stared at his watch. 'Well… OK!' He added that he'd 'definitely' made similar comments to his engineer at Mercedes, Peter Bonnington, plus that team's senior engineers, including Andrew Shovlin, in the past.
Hamilton did not speak to Adami during the cool-down lap once the Miami race had concluded, only receiving a couple of instructions to pick up rubber on his tires and to change some engine settings. Vasseur came to his driver's room immediately after the race for their chat.
After the race, Vasseur told reporters he could 'perfectly understand the frustration' from Hamilton. In fact, he thought Ferrari 'did a good job' managing the situation — also noting the potential for delays in F1 broadcasts when playing radio messages versus when they are happening live, direct from driver to team.
'It's always much easier to do it (make a call) two hours later,' Vasseur said. 'We asked them to do it. They did it. Now, the frustration, when you are in the car, I can perfectly understand this. And we had a discussion, and it was much more relaxed.'
Hamilton also suggested it had been a positive discussion with Vasseur. 'I just put my hand on his shoulder and (was) like, 'dude, calm down, don't be so sensitive,'' Hamilton said – a hint that Vasseur may not have been impressed initially. 'I could have said way worse things on the radio. You hear some of the things others have said in the past. Some of it was sarcasm.
'You've got to understand we're under a huge amount of pressure within the car. You're never going to get the most peaceful messages coming through in the heat of the battle. And yeah. It was fine.'
Advertisement
Hamilton knocked back a suggestion he had been 'feisty' on the radio, noting that everything he said was PG. 'I've still got my fire in my belly,' he said. 'I could feel a bit of it really coming up there.'
The other party involved in the radio calls, Leclerc, was eager to avoid discussing the matter when he spoke over half an hour before Hamilton. 'I think the story is going to be big enough already, and we need to do better, that's for sure,' he said. But Leclerc does feel there should have been more of a discussion before deciding to swap the Ferrari cars around in the first place.
Hamilton joined Ferrari hoping to fight for his elusive eighth world championship. A teammate as good as Leclerc would always pose close competition, which would likely warrant some uncomfortable conversations.
What made all of this difficult for Hamilton and Ferrari was that it took place over seventh and eighth place on the Miami track, far away from where either party wants to be. At the inaugural race here in 2022, Ferrari started 1-2 on the grid, although Max Verstappen beat it that day.
This year's Ferrari car is not easy to drive, and hasn't enjoyed the same performance step year-on-year as the team's rivals. Hamilton snared third in the sprint on Saturday thanks to a bold strategy call — one he pushed for — to come in early to change from wet to dry tires and then felt more positive about his main race potential despite struggling to only 12th in qualifying.
Ferrari knew it wouldn't be fighting with McLaren and Red Bull at the very front in Miami. But to be languishing also behind Mercedes, Hamilton's former team, and instead be using these tactics to fend off a Williams — a team confined to the lower midfield for much of the past decade — was a damning reflection of Ferrari's struggles in Miami.
The car simply hasn't been there this season, but to be so far out of the picture, two weeks on from Leclerc wrestling the car to the podium in Jeddah, was a big step backwards.
Advertisement
Vasseur even interrupted a follow-up question about the team orders radio discussions, claiming it was 'not the story of the day.' He stressed the greater worry for Ferrari was its lack of car performance. 'I would be much more keen to speak about why we finished one minute behind McLaren.'
But Hamilton did seem more upbeat than at the past three races about the possibility of light being at the end of the tunnel for Ferrari with its car issues. 'I truly believe that when we fix some of the problems that we have with the car, we'll be back in the fight with the Mercedes, with the (Red) Bulls,' Hamilton said. 'It just can't come quick enough.' Upgrades are expected to be added to the SF-25 cars at the next round at Imola.
Until then, there will be that added degree of frustration and urgency in Hamilton, fueled by a hunger and desire to win, which has driven him to statistically the most successful career in F1 history.
What's important for the relationship between him and Ferrari is that the understanding remains in place. That these messages, regardless of tone, were all down to that: A frustration with the situation both sides find themselves in, and not with each other.
'I'm not going to apologize for being a fighter,' Hamilton said. 'I'm not going to apologize for still wanting it.'
(Top photo of Lewis Hamilton: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)