Hamilton faces growing tension at Ferrari, with misfires in communication sparking doubts over his partnership with Riccardo Adami.
Lewis Hamilton made it clear after the Miami Grand Prix: he won’t apologize for his blunt radio messages. The seven-time world champion says it’s part of the job and that Ferrari needs to be “less sensitive” when tempers flare during races.
But behind the scenes, things aren’t exactly smooth between Hamilton and his new team. After years of driving Mercedes-powered cars, adapting to Ferrari hasn’t been easy, and communication is proving to be one of the biggest hurdles.
At the heart of the issue is Riccardo Adami, Hamilton’s race engineer in 2025 and the former right-hand man to Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz. Their dynamic, according to the Italian press, is already showing cracks.
“La Repubblica” reports that the relationship is “fragile,” noting that tensions have been apparent since the first race weekend in Melbourne. Radio exchanges have occasionally been tense, and while FOM tried to limit what was broadcast in the early rounds, the friction is now too obvious to hide.
Adding fuel to the fire, Hamilton recently posted a heartfelt message on social media about his former Mercedes race engineer, Peter Bonnington, affectionately known as “Bono”, who now works with rising star Kimi Antonelli.
“I saw the video of Bono, Kimi and Toto. It really warmed my heart. Bono is simply the best,” Hamilton wrote.
That post didn’t sit well at Ferrari. According to reports, it led to a private conversation between Hamilton and team principal Frédéric Vasseur after another frustrating race weekend.
Arianna Ravelli of La Gazzetta dello Sport says the current Hamilton–Ferrari–Adami trio is “far from balanced.” She questions whether the team’s short-term vision fits with Hamilton’s career stage.
“Ferrari needed Hamilton more than Hamilton needed Ferrari,” she writes. “And at his age, it’s hard to see this as anything but a short-term bet.”
She also hints at a bigger problem: management. With Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli rapidly gaining attention, Ferrari is facing tough questions about missing out on the Italian prodigy.
When asked if Ferrari regrets not signing Antonelli, chairman John Elkann laughed and quipped, “Maybe when he’s 40!”
But Ravelli’s criticism extends beyond the drivers. She questions whether team boss Frédéric Vasseur is truly delivering.
“What went wrong?” she asks. “After the Binotto era, the message at Maranello was ‘let Vasseur cook.’ So were the ingredients bad, or does the chef need a refresher on MasterChef?”
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Hamilton, Adami Tensions Date Back to Melbourne Opener Hamilton, Adami Tensions Date Back to Melbourne Opener