Hamilton hits back at radio criticism: ‘Max is far worse’

Lewis Hamilton has defended his much-discussed radio exchanges with his new Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami, insisting the coverage has been blown out of proportion.

Ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion, who finished a disappointing 10th in a wet and wild season opener in Melbourne, faced questions about his terse on-air interactions with Adami

But Hamilton brushed off the criticism, pointing a finger at Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and insisting his rival’s radio rants dwarf his own in intensity.

The Briton’s race debut with Ferrari was a disappointing affair last weekend at Albert Park. An ill-timed strategy call dashed any hopes of a podium, leaving him mired in the midfield while teammate Charles Leclerc limped home eighth.

Hamilton’s race was marked by is increasingly sharp exchanges with Adami, as the 40-year-old bristled at what he felt were unnecessary instructions. But the F1 veteran says the narrative around his radio chatter has been inflated beyond reason.

Downplaying the Drama

"I mean, naturally, everyone overegged,” Hamilton told Sky Sports, his tone calm but resolute.

“It was literally just a back-and-forth, I was very polite in how I had suggested it. I said: 'leave it to me, please’. I wasn't saying 'F you' and I wasn't swearing.

“So it was just at that point, I was really struggling with the car and I needed full focus on these couple of things.”

Riccardo Adami, Lewis Hamilton's race engineer at Ferrari.

For Hamilton, the exchanges were less a sign of discord and more a natural part of bedding in with Adami, a seasoned engineer who has guided champions before.

“We're getting to know each other. He's obviously had two champions or more in the past and there's no issues between us still,” he added, quashing any whispers of tension.

Reflecting on his legendary partnership with Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington at Mercedes – a 12-year alliance that yielded six titles – Hamilton framed the Adami dynamic as a work in progress.

Read also:

• Brundle: Hamilton's Ferrari debut ‘disappointing by any metric’

“Ultimately, we're literally just getting to know each other,” he said. “So afterwards I'm like: 'hey bro, I don't need that bit of information but if you want to give me this, this is the place I'd like to do it'.

“This is how I'm feeling in the car and, at these points, this is when I do and don't need the information’. That's what it's about.

“There are no issues, it's done with a smiley face and we move forwards.”

It’s a process, he insists, built on mutual respect and a shared goal to gel as a unit.

Verstappen’s Radio Rants Are Far Worse

Where Hamilton truly sharpened his retort was in drawing a stark contrast to Verstappen’s well-documented radio flare-ups with Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

The Dutchman’s fiery exchanges – often laced with frustration – have become a staple of F1 broadcasts, with Lambiase earning plaudits for his unflappable responses.

Hamilton didn’t hold back in redirecting the spotlight.

“Go and listen to the radio calls with others and their engineers, far worse,” he said, his words carrying a pointed edge.

“But unfortunately, you make… the conversation that Max has with an engineer over the years, the abuse that the poor guy [Gianpiero Lambiase]'s taken and you never write about it, but you wrote about the smallest little discussion I had with mine.”

The comparison isn’t just a deflection – it’s a challenge. Verstappen and Lambiase’s dynamic, while effective, has often veered into heated territory, yet rarely draws the same scrutiny Hamilton feels he’s endured.

For the Ferrari newcomer, the disparity stings, and he’s not shy about calling it out. His Melbourne exchanges, he argues, were tame by contrast – polite requests born out of in-the-moment pressure, not personal attacks.

For Hamilton, Australia may have been a stumble – his worst season-opening result in years – but he’s not dwelling on it, nor on the chatter about his radio etiquette.

With China looming, he and Adami are forging ahead, fine-tuning their rapport in pursuit of Ferrari’s first win of 2025. The critics can dissect his words all they like; Hamilton’s eyes are on the track, not the headlines.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook