Lewis Hamilton has addressed the tense team radio messages that stirred headlines during the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.
While McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed his third straight win, comfortably beating teammate Lando Norris and pole-sitter Max Verstappen, Hamilton’s afternoon was marked by frustration. The seven-time world champion found himself stuck behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc despite appearing to have more pace, leading to heated messages over the radio.
Hamilton, 40, voiced anger over tyre degradation, saying they were “burning up” as he sat behind Leclerc. Though he eventually got past, Ferrari later instructed a position swap, with Leclerc finishing seventh and Hamilton eighth.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton clarified his comments toward race engineer Riccardo Adami:
“I lost a lot of time behind Charles and in that moment, for sure, I was like, ‘come on, let’s make a decision quick, let’s not waste time.’ I’m sure people didn’t like certain comments, but you’ve got to understand, it’s frustrating.”
Hamilton also revealed that Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur addressed the exchange post-race.
“Fred came to my room. I just put my hand on his shoulder and said, ‘dude, calm down. Don’t be so sensitive.’ I could have said way worse things on the radio. You hear some of the things other people have said in the past. Some of it was sarcasm.”
Hamilton emphasized the pressure drivers face, saying, “You’re never going to get the most peaceful messages come through in the heat of the battle.”
Following Miami, Hamilton sits eighth in the standings with 41 points — 12 behind Leclerc and 90 adrift of championship leader Piastri.
Formula 1 returns in two weeks with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola’s historic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit.
