The Grand Prix of Formula 1 Miami 2025 was supposed to be Ferrari's chance to return to the podium. But in the end, the Scuderia was a frustrating 7th and 8th. Another lacklustre performance, weighed down by poor qualifying, a lack of pace in the race... and, above all, an internal clash between Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer, which exposed the technical and human tensions running through the team.
Messy race instructions
It all started on lap 38, when Hamilton, faster on medium tires, got stuck behind Leclerc. "It's not good teamwork, that's all I'm going to say," the seven-time champion blurted out on the radio in frustration. Ferrari eventually ordered an exchange of positions... too late, according to Hamilton, who was then unable to overtake Antonelli for 6th place. And the damage was done: the atmosphere in the cockpit had become electric.
On the radio, the Brit did not mince his words: biting irony, palpable frustration and thinly veiled sarcasm. He even went so far as to ask if he should let... Carlos Sainz through. A remark that speaks volumes about his irritation.
Hamilton re-frames Vasseur after the race
At the end of the GP, Hamilton calmed things down on the surface, but was keen to send a clear message to his boss, Frédéric Vasseur. "Fred came into my room. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, 'Dude, calm down. Don't be so touchy,'" Hamilton told the press. He went on: "I'm not going to apologize for being a fighter. I still want to fight for podiums. And I think some people need to learn to make decisions more quickly."
Vasseur, for his part, tried to defuse the situation: "It's never easy. But we took our responsibilities. We asked them to make the switch, twice. Not many teams would have done that. Could we have done it half a turn earlier? Maybe we could have. But we did. And I understand Lewis's frustration."
Ferrari: much ado about nothing?
On the track, McLaren scored a masterful double with Piastri ahead of Norris. Mercedes saved the day with a podium finish from Russell. Verstappen, despite taking pole, was never able to keep up with the pace. And Ferrari? It finished behind Albonet's Williams, just ahead of Sainz's Williams. An affront, especially given Maranello's stated ambitions this winter.
Vasseur no longer hides the problem: "We lack performance, especially in qualifying. We started off too far back and we suffered. Our weekend wasn't all about the instructions, but they didn't help us."
Hamilton, for his part, remains combative: "I can still feel the sacred fire. It wasn't anger, just frustration. We need to improve the car. We'll try something different for the next race."
Sir Lewis Hamilton: "It wasn't even anger. It wasn't like, effing and blinding and anything like that. It's like, 'make a decision!' You're sitting there on the chair, you've got the stuff in front of you, make the decision, quick. That's how I was. We're in a panic, we're trying... pic.twitter.com/F4BZMdVgQ7
- sim (@simsgazette) May 5, 2025
A team under stress
Between a hierarchy that's hard to establish, instructions that are too slow to follow, and a pair of drivers who are as talented as they are ambitious, Ferrari seems to be walking on a tightrope. Hamilton is putting pressure where it hurts: on the team's ability to make decisions. And while the tone remains hushed in public, the pressure is real. Lewis Hamilton's anger is reminiscent of Charles Leclerc's in previous seasons.
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