Hamilton opens up on tense Miami radio messages during… Read more
Lewis Hamilton has addressed the tense radio exchanges that took place during the Miami Grand Prix, admitting that his comments may have ruffled feathers but were made in a moment of frustration. The seven-time world champion had a challenging weekend, starting 12th on the grid and initially struggling to break into the top 10 while running on hard tyres and battling Esteban Ocon.
Hamilton’s race took a positive turn during a mid-race Virtual Safety Car period, which allowed him to make a pit stop with minimal time loss. He rejoined the track and began catching up to his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz of Williams, who were fighting for seventh position. As Leclerc overtook Sainz, Hamilton, running on the faster medium tyres, believed he was quicker and asked the team if he could pass Leclerc.
However, Ferrari initially instructed both drivers to hold position, leading to several frustrated radio messages from Hamilton. Among his sarcastic remarks was a jab suggesting the team could “have a tea break” while making their decision. Eventually, Ferrari allowed Hamilton through, but not before valuable time was lost.
Speaking after the race to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton clarified that his comments were made in the heat of the moment. “It was frustrating. I lost a lot of time behind Charles and just wanted a quick, decisive call,” he explained. “I’m sure people didn’t like some of the comments, but others say far worse. It was mostly sarcasm.” He added that the matter would be discussed within the team and emphasized the need to stay focused on performance rather than emotions.
Despite eventually overtaking Leclerc, Hamilton couldn’t create a gap and his teammate stayed close, aided by DRS. Leclerc later complained about dirty air from following so closely. After Hamilton gave the position back, he finished the race in eighth, following a final-lap clash with Sainz at the hairpin.
Hamilton acknowledged the team’s current struggles, saying, “The fact that we’re battling Williams shows how much performance we’re lacking. Since China, we’ve understood where we’re losing time, and we’re working to fix it.”
Leclerc finished one place ahead in seventh but echoed Hamilton’s concerns, noting Ferrari’s poor race pace and saying they need to improve quickly. “We’re in a difficult situation and I hope we can turn it around soon,” he said.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri won the race, leading a commanding 1-2 finish for the team ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell, while Ferrari was left analyzing how to extract more speed from their car.
