“It wasn’t even anger”: Lewis Hamilton shuts down claims he was angry or disrespectful during heated Ferrari radio chat in Miami

Lewis Hamilton has spoken candidly following the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, addressing the radio chatter that stirred conversations around his perceived frustration. The seven-time world champion denied any intention to sound "angry" or "disrespectful" during his exchanges with the Ferrari team, making it clear that the remarks were driven more by race-day urgency than discontent.

Lewis Hamilton finished just behind teammate Charles Leclerc in eighth, a result he believed could’ve been improved had Ferrari responded more promptly to his request to switch positions. During the race, the British driver, on faster medium tyres at the time, found himself stuck behind Leclerc and believed he had the pace to catch Andrea Kimi Antonelli if allowed through earlier.

“All I could see is a Mercedes ahead and I was thinking maybe we can get up to sixth or something, but we lost a lot of time in those laps [behind Leclerc],” Hamilton noted. “I was clearly good for it in that moment, and I didn’t think the decision came quick enough.”
Eventually, Ferrari did permit the switch, allowing Hamilton to chase down the Mercedes ahead, but the advantage was short-lived. The team later reversed the swap, giving Leclerc another shot at Antonelli. The back-and-forth move highlighted Ferrari’s effort to remain fair, but Hamilton’s stance remains that the team should back the quicker car decisively in such scenarios.
Addressing the tone of his radio messages, Hamilton emphasized that pressure inside the cockpit can often lead to sarcastic or impatient tones, which may not accurately reflect a driver’s true feelings. “Fred came to my room [after the race]. I just put my hand on his shoulder, like calm down, don’t be so sensitive,” he recalled. “Some of it was sarcasm. You’ve got to understand that we’re under a huge amount of pressure within the cars.”

Hamilton pointed out that his messages were far from hostile or inappropriate. “It wasn’t even anger,” he said. “It wasn’t like I was effing and blinding – just make a decision! You’re sitting there on the chair, you’ve got the stuff in front of you, you make the decision quick.”
Despite the frustration, Hamilton remains optimistic. Starting 12th in a car still struggling for ultimate pace, he felt encouraged by his stint on the mediums. “I felt the car really come alive and I felt super optimistic in that moment,” he said. “It might not show necessarily today, but I feel like I had a better weekend in general.”
And in a reminder of the competitive fire that still fuels him after all these years, Hamilton concluded with a passionate declaration: “I want to win. I still got that fire in my belly. I can feel a little bit of it really coming up there.”
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