Lewis Hamilton voluntarily gave up position to Charles Leclerc: the unheard team radios in F1 China GP. It was Lewis Hamilton himself who suggested swapping places with Charles Leclerc in China.

The Chinese Grand Prix was a disaster for Ferrari on many fronts, even before it ended with a heavy (and unfortunately historic) double disqualification. Qualifying had already fallen short of expectations, especially after the Sprint Race victory with car number 44. Then, in the race, the added trouble of a broken wing on the other car, number 16, further complicated things. Despite this major issue, with an estimated aerodynamic load loss of about 30 points, the Monegasque was flying in the first stint. So much so that, as it seemed, the team had asked Lewis Hamilton to let him through.

Such a request is always a tough pill to swallow for drivers, as it labels them as slower than their first rival. However, at Ferrari, the situation was quite the opposite, as it was the Briton himself who suggested swapping places with his teammate. “I think I’ll let Charles go, I’m struggling,” said the champion over the radio when he saw the other red car rapidly closing in on his mirrors. However, FOM did not broadcast this part, instead only airing what appeared to be Lewis Hamilton’s “complaints” when he asked the team to bring Charles Leclerc closer or the pit wall’s orders: “We want to swap you this lap. Switch now,” followed by his response, “I’ll tell you when I give him the position.”

It was an almost scripted scenario, as if to make it seem like Hamilton was reluctant to let his teammate through. In reality, the process was fairly smooth, albeit not immediate, as the Briton first found himself caught up with lapped cars and then engaged in a battle with George Russell. “To put on a show, they only aired the second part of the team radios. I will talk to them,” team principal Frédéric Vasseur told the media, including *The Race*. “These team orders are agreed upon before the start. In this case, a driver even admitted he was ready to let the other one through because he didn’t have the pace. From the pit wall, we appreciated Lewis’s call—it’s not an issue,” the French manager concluded.