Lewis Hamilton unleashed sharp criticism following the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, targeting Ferrari’s sluggish strategy that marred his race. In his debut season with the Italian team, the seven-time world champion expressed deep frustration, particularly over delayed team orders during the race at the Miami International Autodrome. “This isn’t good teamwork, that’s all I have to say,” Hamilton snapped over the radio, a moment that underscored the tension in the Ferrari garage.
Starting from 12th, Hamilton fought his way to eighth but believed a faster response from Ferrari could have secured a better result. His pointed remarks compared the situation to his Mercedes days with Valtteri Bottas, where swift decisions were the norm. The Briton’s outspokenness highlighted a challenging weekend for Ferrari, who struggled to keep pace with McLaren’s dominant Oscar Piastri.
- Key Hamilton quotes:
- “Do you want me to stay here the whole time? I’m burning my tires.”
- “This isn’t good teamwork, that’s all I have to say.”
- “Valtteri and I swapped positions quickly. Here, we lost time.”
Hamilton’s radio outburst
Hamilton’s frustration boiled over during the race, evident in his heated radio exchanges with race engineer Riccardo Adami. After climbing from 12th, Hamilton found himself stuck behind teammate Charles Leclerc, who was on harder tires while Hamilton ran mediums, offering better grip. Despite his faster pace, Ferrari hesitated to order a position swap, leaving Hamilton in Leclerc’s dirty air for several laps.
“Do you want me to stay here the whole time?” Hamilton demanded, his tone laced with impatience. He warned that following Leclerc was overheating his tires, eroding their performance. His sharpest critique came soon after: “This isn’t good teamwork.” Only on lap 38 did Ferrari allow Hamilton to pass Leclerc, but the delay had already cost him valuable time and tire life.
In a post-race interview with Racing News 365, Hamilton reflected on his initial optimism. “When I switched to mediums, the car came alive. I thought we could get to sixth,” he said. That hope faded as he failed to catch Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a setback he attributed to Ferrari’s indecision.
Miami, caught in time 🤝 pic.twitter.com/DHEIBXwvvB
— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 6, 2025
Bottas comparison fuels critique
Hamilton repeatedly drew on his Mercedes tenure to underline his grievances. Alongside Valtteri Bottas, he experienced a well-oiled system where position swaps were executed promptly to maximize team results. “Valtteri and I had a clear system: if I was faster, he’d let me through, and if it didn’t work, I’d give the place back,” Hamilton explained. He argued that such efficiency could have prevented the time loss in Miami.
The Bottas comparison was a subtle jab at Ferrari’s slower decision-making. Hamilton stressed that Mercedes’ approach prioritized collective performance, a contrast to Ferrari’s hesitation. “In the end, we weren’t fast enough, but the call should’ve come quicker,” he stated, doubling down on his dissatisfaction.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur defended the strategy, noting the swap aimed to capitalize on Hamilton’s early pace with mediums. However, Hamilton’s inability to pull away from Leclerc justified reverting positions on lap 53, a move that did little to ease the Briton’s frustration.
Friction with Leclerc
The Miami GP tested the dynamic between Hamilton and Leclerc. While their relationship remains professional, the on-track battle and radio complaints revealed underlying tension. Hamilton’s irritation peaked while stuck behind Leclerc, but the Monegasque later voiced his own concerns when following Hamilton after the swap.
“Ask him to push harder, my tires are overheating behind him,” Leclerc told his engineer, Bryan Bozzi, as he struggled with dirty air. Leclerc also reported tire wear issues, which hampered his pace. Ferrari, caught between both drivers’ demands, eventually ordered Hamilton to yield the seventh position back to Leclerc on lap 53, with Carlos Sainz’s Williams closing in.
Hamilton downplayed personal conflict. “I have no issue with Charles or the team,” he clarified post-race. Yet his pointed critique of the strategy signaled a desire for sharper teamwork to avoid similar scenarios.
- Radio highlights:
- Hamilton: “I’m clearly faster but losing time here.”
- Leclerc: “Tires are overheating. He needs to pull away.”
- Hamilton, under pressure from Sainz: “Have a cup of tea while you think about it.”
Ferrari’s struggles in Miami
The Miami GP exposed the SF-25’s shortcomings, with Ferrari unable to match the pace of McLaren, Mercedes, or Red Bull. Hamilton, despite a strong recovery from 12th to eighth, lamented the car’s lack of speed. “This track is tough for overtaking, and our pace just wasn’t there,” he admitted.
Tire strategy was a focal point of Hamilton’s ire. He started on hards, switching to mediums on lap 25, while Leclerc ran the opposite strategy. “The mediums gave me hope, but we lost the window by staying behind Charles,” Hamilton said. With track temperatures exceeding 50°C, the mediums degraded quickly, limiting his stint’s effectiveness.
Ferrari ended the race as the fifth-fastest team, occasionally outpaced by Williams. A gap of nearly one second per lap to race winner Piastri underscored the SF-25’s aerodynamic and traction deficits, particularly on Miami’s long straights.
Paddock reactions
Hamilton’s outspokenness sparked debate among pundits and former drivers. Sky Sports F1’s Jenson Button backed Hamilton’s stance. “If a driver’s on faster tires, you let them through immediately. Ferrari hesitated and missed the tire window,” he said. The critique highlighted Ferrari’s need for quicker strategic calls.
David Coulthard noted the challenge of managing two high-caliber drivers. “Hamilton and Leclerc are both leaders. Ferrari must navigate that dynamic carefully,” he observed. The Bottas comparison also fueled discussion, with engineers noting Mercedes’ clear hierarchy simplified team orders, unlike Ferrari’s current setup with two competitive pilots.
- Pundit takes on Hamilton’s comments:
- Jenson Button: “Ferrari should’ve acted faster. They lost critical time.”
- Ted Kravitz: “Hamilton’s used to instant decisions. This is a shift for him.”
- David Coulthard: “Two alpha drivers make Ferrari’s job trickier.”
Ferrari’s history of team orders
Ferrari’s handling of team orders has long been contentious, and Hamilton’s Miami remarks added fuel to that narrative. The team faced backlash in the 2000s for favoring Michael Schumacher over Rubens Barrichello, notably in the 2002 Austrian GP. More recently, tensions between Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in 2023 saw the Spaniard often yielding to the Monegasque.
Hamilton, accustomed to Mercedes’ streamlined approach, expects similar efficiency. “At Mercedes, we knew exactly what to do in those moments,” he reiterated. Ferrari’s delay in Miami, per Hamilton, reflected poor communication and planning, a recurring issue for the team in high-pressure scenarios.
While Vasseur justified the position swaps as a bid to maximize points, the outcome fell short. Hamilton couldn’t close the gap to Antonelli, and Leclerc’s harder tires proved more consistent late in the race.
Tire strategy under scrutiny
Tires were central to Hamilton’s complaints. He emphasized that the mediums, though quicker initially, demanded precise timing, which Ferrari squandered. “I was clearly faster but stuck behind Charles, cooking my tires,” he lamented. The dirty air from Leclerc’s car exacerbated tire overheating, shortening the mediums’ effective life.
Leclerc’s hard tires struggled early but gained pace later, overtaking Hamilton’s fading mediums. Ferrari’s split strategy aimed to cover multiple scenarios but faltered due to poor synchronization. “If we’d acted sooner, we could’ve fought for more,” Hamilton said.
- Tire strategy breakdown:
- Hamilton: Hards until lap 25, then mediums to the end.
- Leclerc: Mediums until lap 24, then hards to the end.
- Time lost per lap behind Leclerc: Roughly 0.3 seconds.
- Medium tire degradation: 0.15 seconds per lap after 12 laps.
Miami’s track challenges
The Miami International Autodrome, with its long straights and low-speed corners, amplified Ferrari’s woes. Hamilton, starting 12th after a poor qualifying, battled a tight midfield where overtaking was scarce. “It’s a tough track to pass on, and our car lacked the pace,” he noted. His climb to eighth required bold moves but was capped by the SF-25’s limitations.
Telemetry data revealed Ferrari lost up to 0.5 seconds per lap on straights compared to McLaren. High track temperatures and traction issues in slow corners further hampered the SF-25, making tire management and strategy critical—areas where Ferrari faltered, as Hamilton vocally pointed out.
Gearing up for Imola
Ferrari now turns to the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola, set for May 16-18, aiming to address Miami’s missteps. Hamilton, a past winner at Imola, sees potential in the track’s technical layout. “Imola suits us better. We need to nail the strategy,” he said. The team plans tactical meetings to streamline decisions and avoid repeats of Miami’s errors.
Leclerc, racing on home soil, seeks a morale-boosting result. Ferrari will test aerodynamic and traction upgrades in the simulator, with a focus on optimizing soft and medium tires. “We’ll review Miami and come back stronger,” Hamilton vowed.
- Ferrari’s Imola preparations:
- Tactical meetings to align Hamilton and Leclerc strategies.
- Simulator tests for aerodynamic upgrades.
- Emphasis on soft and medium tire performance.
- Improved radio communication for faster calls.
Hamilton’s Ferrari journey
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari in 2025 was a seismic shift in Formula 1, but adaptation has proven challenging. His Miami critique reflects a champion unwilling to settle for less than optimal execution. “I want the best for the team, but we need quicker decisions,” he stressed. The Bottas comparison highlights philosophical differences between Mercedes and Ferrari’s approaches.
Though Miami yielded modest results, Hamilton remains pivotal to Ferrari’s ambitions. His experience and drive are assets, but syncing with the SF-25 and team dynamics requires time. Hamilton’s candid words in Miami serve as a rallying cry for Ferrari to elevate its game in 2025.
