Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, has publicly criticized the media for amplifying what he perceives as a minor incident during the F1 2025 Australian Grand Prix. The 40-year-old racing star found himself in the spotlight for his reportedly stern interaction with his Ferrari race engineer, Riccardo Adami.
Hamilton, who had a 12-year stint with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes, is working to build a strong rapport with Adami. The Grand Prix at Albert Park Circuit, however, saw tension brew between the two men. On multiple occasions during the 57-lap race, Hamilton appeared to be irked by Adami’s numerous requests, including locating the K1 switch and upshifting later for improved DRS.
Significantly, this took place amidst a challenging rain-affected race, as Hamilton was trying to understand the behavior of his new car and overtake Alex Albon without risking a crash. Hamilton’s irritation came to the fore when he asked Adami to let him focus on his driving, indicating his desire to reach the finish line in the best possible position.
The situation escalated when a strategic error by Ferrari saw Hamilton drop from a potential podium finish to a disappointing ninth place. The 105-time Grand Prix winner expressed his frustration over the radio, but clarified that his outburst was not targeted at Adami.
Despite these early hiccups in their professional relationship, Hamilton dismissed claims of rudeness, stating that the media had exaggerated the situation. In a direct comparison, he pointed out that Max Verstappen’s interactions with his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, had been far more contentious, yet had attracted less attention.
Hamilton referenced incidents during the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix and the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix where Verstappen had openly criticized Lambiase. Despite such heated exchanges, the duo maintain a good working relationship, with Lambiase admitting that he is slowly acclimatizing to Verstappen’s style.
Hamilton’s criticism of the media spotlight on the incident underlines his focus on building a successful partnership with Adami, similar to his previous collaboration with Bonnington at Mercedes. This legendary duo’s rapport took years to develop and resulted in one of the most successful driver-engineer partnerships in motorsport history.
It’s noteworthy that Hamilton’s communication preference differs from his engineer’s. Whereas Adami’s previous clients, Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, welcomed detailed information, Hamilton prefers concise, impactful messages. This means Adami will need to adapt his style to suit Hamilton’s needs, which will ultimately strengthen their working relationship and yield better race results.
In conclusion, Lewis Hamilton’s vented frustrations are not an indication of a fractured relationship with his engineer, but rather a sign of growing pains and adjustments in their budding partnership. As the pair learn to better understand each other’s communication styles, they could replicate the success of Hamilton’s previous collaborations and continue his legacy as one of the top drivers in the sport.