In the Sprint Race, the Ferrari driver managed to secure a podium. However, in the first half of the main race, Hamilton faced significant difficulties—and Riccardo Adami didn’t help. Let’s take a look at why the Briton’s race engineer confused the driver.
Lewis Hamilton started the race from 12th position. After gaining one place on Isack Hadjar thanks to a mistake by the Frenchman, number 44 set off in pursuit of Esteban Ocon’s Haas. The former Alpine driver didn’t make life easy for the Briton, who needed several laps to pass him.
During this phase, Lewis Hamilton was hindered by his race engineer. Drivers need intense concentration during battles and on certain parts of the track. For this reason, they avoid radio communication during braking zones.
This is exactly what the British driver complained about with Riccardo Adami, who clearly did not respect the driver’s requests. “You’re talking to me in the braking zone.” “Stop talking to me while I’m fighting like hell, damn it!”
These were the heated complaints Lewis directed at his race engineer. It’s not the first time the two have had misunderstandings. In a season where the car is not performing up to expectations, there is also a relationship that’s struggling to click. Lewis Hamilton spent all his years at Mercedes alongside Peter Bonnington—so is it just a matter of time before he adapts to a new engineer, or is this partnership destined to keep deteriorating?