Lewis Hamilton came under criticism from several fellow Formula 1 drivers during Friday practice for the Madrid Grand Prix after repeatedly finding himself in the way of faster cars while completing tyre-cooling laps. Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg all expressed frustration over separate encounters with the Ferrari driver, while Ralf Schumacher later delivered an even stronger assessment of Hamilton’s behaviour.
Despite the complaints, Lewis Hamilton was not investigated by Race Control for any of the impeding incidents. Such situations are relatively common during free practice, when drivers are operating on different programmes and speeds, although the consequences can become much more serious once qualifying begins.
Lewis Hamilton frustrates Carlos Sainz during Madrid practice
Lewis Hamilton was frequently running slowly on the circuit during Friday’s practice sessions as he managed tyre temperatures between faster laps. One of the drivers most frustrated by the situation was Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton’s predecessor at Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz was forced to abandon a flying lap after catching the 41-year-old British driver ahead. Speaking over team radio, Carlos Sainz complained that Lewis Hamilton “never makes any effort” to get out of the way of other cars.
The Spanish driver was particularly unhappy about where Lewis Hamilton chose to let him pass. The manoeuvre took place in the middle of Turn 12, the banked Monumental corner, where Carlos Sainz considered the situation dangerous because the corner appears to have a single ideal racing line, unlike the banked Turn 3 at Zandvoort.
The episode came during a busy Friday in which Ferrari showed encouraging pace, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third in the Madrid GP FP2 classification behind Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli.
Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg also complain about Hamilton
Carlos Sainz was not the only driver to encounter Lewis Hamilton at an awkward moment. Yuki Tsunoda also had a close encounter with the Ferrari and reacted over the radio by asking, “What is he doing?” before showing Lewis Hamilton a thumbs-up gesture as the two cars passed one another.
Nico Hulkenberg experienced another incident when he found himself behind Lewis Hamilton, who was travelling very slowly on the racing line before the right-hand corner leading onto the pit straight. The German driver subsequently described the situation as “a bit dirty”.
The three reactions reflected a common concern: several drivers wanted greater awareness from the seven-time world champion when running slowly during practice. Traffic management is already proving to be a major issue around the new Madring circuit, particularly because cars on cooling laps can easily interfere with competitors attempting faster runs.
For more coverage of the British driver’s Madrid weekend, ScuderiaFans is following all the latest Lewis Hamilton Ferrari news and updates.
Ralf Schumacher calls Lewis Hamilton’s slow driving unsporting
Ralf Schumacher then added further criticism after watching the incidents unfold. The 51-year-old former Formula 1 driver, younger brother of Michael Schumacher and now a television pundit for Sky Germany, singled out Lewis Hamilton’s positioning on track.
“What struck me more than anything else was the man in red who seemed to be holding everyone up because he was often driving in the middle of the track, Lewis Hamilton,” Ralf Schumacher said. “I don’t know why he does it so often, but it was something you could already notice in 2015. Driving slowly is actually unsporting towards the other drivers.”
Race Control did not investigate Lewis Hamilton for impeding any of the drivers involved. That is not particularly unusual during free practice, where such incidents are generally treated differently from qualifying.
If a driver is judged to have impeded another competitor during qualifying, however, the traditional FIA stewards’ sanction is a three-place grid penalty. With track position expected to be important at Madrid, avoiding similar situations once qualifying begins will therefore carry far greater consequences than during Friday practice.
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