The last three Grands Prix’s have reignited discussions amongst fans that Lewis Hamilton and his Ferrari team have had communication difficulties during races, therefore suggesting the two sides may have lost faith in each other.
After a difficult season last year with race engineer Riccardo Adami, Ferrari made the decision to change Hamilton’s engineer for 2026, with Carlo Santi taking over the role. Despite an improved start, issues still seem to be arising as the season reaches its climax.
The first clear communication issue came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when the seven-time world champion asked for information from his team.
After not receiving the answer he was looking for, Hamilton said he would look at the screens around the track to find out what he needed.
Then, at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Hamilton told the media after the race that he wanted to start on the favoured intermediate tyres, but he was told by the team that the track was dry enough for slicks.
The knock-on effect of these difficulties appeared to continue into last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, when Ferrari’s strategy once again came under scrutiny.
With track position important at a track like Singapore, Hamilton went against the team’s strategy and chose to try to take his old soft tyres to the end. However, a huge drop off pace saw him drop from third to sixth.
After the race, the Brit took responsibility over team radio, saying: “Sorry boys, I let you down today with that strategy. My call and I lost us valuable points.”
Whilst Hamilton admitted the decision was his own, the incident has added to the wider discussions amongst fans about Ferrari’s race strategy and whether the team can consistently make the right calls under pressure.
We have seen at Red Bull how many times they have positively produced a result through cunning and co-ordinated strategy, with the importance of communication between Max Verstappen and his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, clear to see. Even in Hamilton’s case, he had that luxury at Mercedes with Peter Bonnington, better known as ‘Bono’.
The pair built a strong relationship during Hamilton’s time at Mercedes, winning six Drivers’ Championships together and now Bono is thriving once more with championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Since joining the Italian giants, the 41-year-old is yet to find the same comfort in the communication department and the confidence in his team’s decisions that he enjoyed at Mercedes.
However, since joining the Italian giants, the 41-year-old is yet to find the same comfort in the communication department and the confidence in his team’s decisions that he had at Mercedes. If Ferrari are to get the best out of one of the sport’s most successful drivers, this issue needs to be a priority down at Maranello.
Main image: James Humphries
