Tensions flare at Ferrari as Hamilton criticizes strategy during Miami Grand Prix struggles
Ferrari’s Struggles Continue as Hamilton and Leclerc Criticize Strategy in Miami
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — When Lewis Hamilton donned Ferrari red for the first time, it was clear every moment of his tenure with Formula 1's most iconic team would be under the microscope. But three races into a turbulent 2025 season, a combination of poor strategy, radio drama, and underwhelming performance has only amplified the scrutiny surrounding Ferrari’s operations.
The Miami Grand Prix provided the harshest wake-up call yet for the Scuderia. Though Ferrari entered the season dreaming of championship contention, Sunday’s race was a glaring reminder of how far the team has fallen. Charles Leclerc crossed the line seventh, 57 seconds behind race winner Oscar Piastri, while Hamilton limped home in eighth, leaving Ferrari locked in a midfield battle rather than challenging the leading McLarens and Red Bulls.
Radio Drama and Tactical Missteps
The turning point of Ferrari’s race arrived midway through the Grand Prix when Hamilton, running eighth on a different tire strategy than Leclerc, found himself stuck behind his teammate. While Leclerc had pitted earlier and was nursing hard compound tires, Hamilton, on mediums, was the faster car and urged the team to let him pass.
"I'm just burning up my tires behind him," Hamilton said over team radio on lap 36. "You want me to just sit here the whole race?"
Ferrari hesitated, as race engineer Riccardo Adami delayed a response to weigh the risks of a swap with Carlos Sainz’s Williams lurking just 1.5 seconds back. "We want to keep the DRS to Charles, go ahead like this," came the eventual response — a decision Hamilton felt came far too late.
When Ferrari finally ordered the switch on lap 38, Hamilton’s frustrations boiled over. "This is not good teamwork, that's all I'm going to say," he remarked. Adami attempted to cut him off, prompting Hamilton’s sarcastic rebuttal: "Have a tea break while you're at it, come on!"
By the time Hamilton was given the go-ahead, his medium tires were already fading. Though he cut the gap to Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes from five seconds to 2.5, any shot at taking sixth place disappeared as his lap times dropped.
Post-Race Frustrations
The swapping back of positions later in the race added to Leclerc's frustrations, as the Monegasque driver acknowledged post-race that Ferrari's strategy left much to be desired.
"I think we should have discussed a little bit more before doing the swap," Leclerc said. "I’m trying to do a good job with my tires and then everything is tricky. I did not expect Carlos [Sainz] to be so close behind.
"As I said, we need to do a step and we need to be robust enough that whenever we find ourselves in these situations, we do better."
Hamilton downplayed the tension during his post-race interviews, emphasizing that his frustrations came from the heat of the moment.
"I didn't think the decision came quick enough," Hamilton explained. "Ultimately, we weren’t quick enough either way, so it probably wouldn’t have changed much.
"Look, we’re under huge amounts of pressure in that car. You’ll never get perfectly peaceful messages during the heat of battle. But there’s no animosity toward the team or Charles. We’ve got to work better as a unit, but ultimately the car is not where we need it to be."
Vasseur Addresses the Team’s Struggles
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur met with Hamilton in the team’s hospitality area after the race to explain the pit wall’s thought process.
"My concern is not about TV or PR; it’s that we’re clear with each other," Vasseur said. "In such situations, Lewis needs to understand what I’m seeing on the pit wall, and I need to trust him.
"It took us maybe a lap longer than it should have, but we wanted to be sure Lewis wasn’t faster simply because of DRS. That said, this isn’t about whether we finished 6-7 or 7-6. The real story is how far off we were from the front."
Ferrari’s Deeper Problems: A Lack of Performance
Beyond the radio drama, the Miami Grand Prix exposed a deeper problem for Ferrari: the car just isn’t competitive. The Prancing Horse’s inability to fight for podiums, let alone victories, has become the defining story of the season.
"It’s not just strategy; we’re lacking performance everywhere," Leclerc admitted. "The other teams have optimized their packages better than we have. That’s the bigger issue."
Hamilton echoed the sentiment, referencing the disqualification of his car in China for running too low to the ground as a turning point.
"Something’s holding us back right now — we’ve lost performance since China," Hamilton said. "I truly believe that once we fix the issues with the car, we’ll be back in the fight with Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren. But right now, we’re battling the Williams, which says it all."
Hope for the Future
With an upgrade package set to arrive ahead of the Imola-Monaco-Spain tripleheader, Ferrari is hoping to reverse its fortunes. But the tone out of Maranello suggests cautious optimism at best.
"We know where we are," Vasseur said. "This is not where Ferrari should be. We have work to do, and it won’t happen overnight. But we’ll get there."
For now, Ferrari and its star pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc find themselves in an unfamiliar and unenviable position: fighting for scraps while the championship battle unfolds far ahead of them.
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