During FP3 in Barcelona, there was a new incident involving Riccardo Adami and Lewis Hamilton. On this occasion, the focus was a gearbox issue reported by the British driver during the session. Hamilton himself later confirmed in the press conference that the situation was under control, but a discrepancy between their communication styles is becoming increasingly apparent.
Riccardo Adami has extensive experience on the pit wall, having previously worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, to name the most recent. From Lewis Hamilton’s perspective, it is well known how crucial his bond with “Bono” was in his past successes. Time will tell whether the same rapport will develop between him and his new race engineer.
The Barcelona Incident
Let’s take a closer look at what happened during FP3 in Barcelona between Lewis Hamilton and Riccardo Adami. Initially, the driver reported a gearbox issue, which later appeared to be resolved. A message then came from the pit wall: “If it works, try the downshift again, otherwise return to the pits.” Lewis Hamilton promptly replied: “I already told you it’s working.”
By this point, the session had ended, and Adami asked if Hamilton could try a practice start. The British driver replied affirmatively. However, confusion followed when he was told: “We’d prefer if you came back to the pits so we can check.” Lewis Hamilton again insisted there were no issues with the downshift.
The team still asked him to return to the pits, prompting the driver to repeat himself for the third time: “I can do the start, it’s all good, mate.” While not a serious situation—especially since it occurred at the end of a Free Practice session—effective communication between the two is crucial looking ahead to race conditions.
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