In recent weeks, the collaboration between Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami has come under scrutiny. The exchange of radio messages caused quite a stir, highlighting the awkward relationship between the British driver and the Scuderia. After Monaco, the alleged tensions reached a peak. However, Hamilton emphasizes that he and his race engineer maintain an ‘excellent’ relationship.
The collaboration between Lewis Hamilton and his race engineer does not seem to be going smoothly from an outsider’s perspective. During the Miami GP, Ferrari notably delayed in recalling Charles Leclerc – the Monegasque had to give back his position to his teammate. This led to a sarcastic jab from Hamilton towards Adami: “Why don’t you take a tea break while you’re at it,” he said over the radio. After the Monaco GP, there was again a hint of disagreement. “Are you mad at me or something?” Hamilton asked, to which there was no response.
‘Rumors are Nonsense’
During the past race weekend in Spain, Hamilton was asked about his relationship with his race engineer. The seven-time world champion firmly maintained that there is no tension. “Our relationship is excellent,” said the 40-year-old Brit. “No problems. We are getting to know each other better and constantly adapting to each other’s working methods. He has worked with many different drivers. We absolutely have no problems.” Adami has previously worked with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz, among others.
Hamilton was then asked if the speculations frustrate him. “There is so much speculation,” he replied calmly. “I mean, most of it is nonsense. Ultimately, we have a great relationship. It’s fantastic to work with him – he’s a great guy, he works extremely hard, just like me. We don’t perform equally well every weekend, and we don’t always agree with each other, like in any relationship. But we handle that well together. Those rumors are just noise,” Hamilton concluded optimistically. “We really don’t pay attention to it. Let them talk – it really doesn’t matter to us.”
