During the Miami Grand Prix, Ferrari ended up in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Only Lewis Hamilton’s podium in the Sprint Race kept spirits up during an otherwise forgettable weekend, marked by a very uncompetitive car. During the race, the two drivers found themselves battling with Haas and Williams, then exchanging tense messages with the pit wall about seventh and eighth place. Team radios filled with bitterness and frustration, revealing to the world the resentment of that day; the messages weren’t really directed at each other, but more at the team.
The most irritated messages came from Lewis Hamilton, who perhaps feels less of the reverence that, understandably, still holds back Charles Leclerc. But after lines like “Do you want to have tea?” or “Should I let Sainz by too?”, the seven-time world champion almost took a step back, stressing that he did it for Ferrari’s sake and wasn’t afraid to speak with the team principal. “Fred came into my room. I put a hand on his shoulder and told him to calm down, not to take it personally. I made some sarcastic comments, I’m under a lot of pressure in the car. In the heat of the battle there aren’t any sweet messages,” the Brit explained to the media.
“I didn’t swear, so I don’t know what you media are going to write—probably that I was disrespectful or something like that. But I didn’t feel that I was. I woke the team up because I wanted to win. I still have the fire inside, and sometimes I feel it push me. I won’t apologize for being a fighter, for always seeking the best. And I know the team feels the same way,” he later told the BBC. Words that finally reassure the fans, dispelling the specter of a tired and disheartened driver. The road ahead is still long, but with the right car, Lewis Hamilton promises to deliver greatness.
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