Breaking news:Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc should be PUNISHED by Ferrari, claims former F1…. Read more
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc should be PUNISHED by Ferrari, claims former F1 star after ‘stroppy’ radio complaints
An ex-Formula 1 driver has suggested that Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, should address the radio outbursts from both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the Australian Grand Prix. The two Ferrari drivers experienced disappointing finishes in Melbourne, with Hamilton ending up in P8 and Leclerc in P10. Hamilton, who was racing for Ferrari for the first time, managed to secure the final points-scoring position, but both drivers expressed frustration with their race situation over the team radio multiple times.
Hamilton’s communication with his engineer, Riccardo Adami, became particularly heated as he dropped further down the race standings due to a strategic error by Ferrari. He repeatedly told Adami to “leave me to it,” and at one point, he even used an expletive in frustration. On the other hand, Leclerc had a sarcastic exchange with his race engineer, Xavier Marcos Padros, after he was informed that water had leaked into his seat. When Padros suggested it was just “water,” Leclerc responded with a sharp remark, saying, “Let’s add that to the words of wisdom.”
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher criticized the pair’s radio behavior, claiming that both Hamilton and Leclerc were disrespectful on the team radio. Schumacher stated that if he were in Vasseur’s position, he would bring the two drivers into his office and “give them both a rap on the knuckles” for their conduct, arguing that it was inappropriate given that the entire team was working hard to support them during the race. He pointed out that while it’s understandable for drivers to ask for quiet during intense moments, their tone was unnecessary and unprofessional.
Despite the criticism, both Hamilton and Leclerc defended their actions. Hamilton pointed to the more explosive radio exchanges of his long-time rival Max Verstappen, suggesting that his own relatively calm requests for silence had been blown out of proportion. The seven-time world champion remarked that Verstappen’s radio exchanges, which he described as more abusive, often go unreported, whereas even the smallest disagreement with his own engineer gets attention from the media.
Hamilton explained that he and his new engineer, Adami, are still learning how to work together and that any tension during the race was a result of this adjustment period. He emphasized that his exchanges with Adami were simply growing pains and that they were working through them. Hamilton stated that after the race, he would approach his engineer to clarify how they could improve their communication, specifically suggesting that he would prefer certain information to be delivered at more appropriate moments during the race.
Overall, while Hamilton and Leclerc’s radio exchanges stirred controversy, they both stood by their actions, and the debate highlighted the complexities of team-driver relationships in F1, especially when navigating challenging race si
tuations.
