Lewis Hamilton Responds to Rumours About Engineer Riccardo Adami

Lewis Hamilton has responded to criticism regarding his relationship with Ferrari engineer Riccardo Adami after a challenging weekend in Monaco.

Hamilton finished fifth. On the cooldown lap, he initially thanked the team for fixing his car for qualifying after a crash in the final practice session. However, later on the same lap, he asked, “Are you upset with me or something?” to which there was no response.

This interaction followed Hamilton receiving a three-grid place penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during qualifying, an incident attributed to incorrect information from his engineer, Adami.

Commenting on the radio silence post-race in Monaco, Hamilton explained, “It was literally just that we had radio problems throughout the race. I didn`t get all the information I wanted, and that was it.”

Following significant attention on the radio exchanges between Hamilton and Adami during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver previously stated that the conversations were “over-egged.”

Hamilton asserts there are “no problems” between himself and Adami, who has previously worked as a race engineer for Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz at Ferrari.

“There`s a lot of speculation. I mean, most of it is rubbish. Ultimately, we have a great relationship,” he stated.

“He`s been amazing to work with. He`s a great guy. We are working incredibly hard. Both of us are, and we don`t always get everything right every weekend. We have disagreements, just like anyone in a relationship, but we work through them. We are both committed, both aiming to win a championship together and help elevate the team. So it`s just background noise, and we don`t really pay it any mind. It can continue if people want, but it doesn`t change the work we`re trying to do.”

Hamilton Doesn`t Completely Rule Out 2025 Title Bid

After eight rounds, Hamilton is 98 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, with two-thirds of the season still remaining.

He is yet to achieve a podium finish as a Ferrari driver but hasn`t ruled out being a contender for the championship this year.

“I believe we are working on next year`s car; whether we are 100 percent focused on it, I cannot comment,” he said.

“Next year`s championship is currently open. This one will be much harder to win, but it`s not impossible, and it will be interesting to see what happens this weekend.”

Hamilton may be hoping that upcoming changes to the technical regulations concerning flexible wings, which could potentially alter the competitive order, will help Ferrari move closer to the front of the field.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested Ferrari has the most to gain from these changes, but Hamilton commented, “I don`t know what gives him that impression, but I hope he is right.”

He added, “We have made some progress. I can`t claim that we`ve fixed everything in just one race, but I`m hopeful we can build on the progress from the last two races this weekend, especially the qualifying performance in the previous race. If we can replicate that this weekend, it would be fantastic.”

Additional context from video captions:

• Ferrari`s Lewis Hamilton was despondent after only finishing fifth at the Monaco Grand Prix.
• Listen in on the radio messages from Lewis Hamilton`s first race with Ferrari throughout the Australian Grand Prix.
• Confusion on the Ferrari team radio caused Lewis Hamilton to impede Max Verstappen during Q1 at the Monaco GP.
• Drivers have their say on how impacted teams could be with the new flexi-wing clampdown coming to the Spanish Grand Prix.
• Ahead of this weekend`s Spanish Grand Prix we take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments from previous races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.