Charles Leclerc has insisted that he holds “no bad feelings” toward his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton following a tense exchange of positions during the Miami Grand Prix, where team orders sparked frustration. The drama unfolded as Hamilton, running on medium tyres, repeatedly pushed to overtake Leclerc, who was on the harder compound, leading to two position swaps. Despite Hamilton’s visible annoyance over team radio, Leclerc maintained a calm stance, placing responsibility on Ferrari’s strategic communication rather than personal conflict.
Hamilton’s complaints grew increasingly urgent during the race, as he argued to be released from behind Leclerc due to his better-performing medium tyres. The seven-time world champion believed he had the pace advantage, but was initially held back, which heightened tensions on the radio. Leclerc was eventually instructed to let Hamilton pass, though after failing to close the gap to Andrea Kimi Antonelli for sixth place, Ferrari reversed the order, putting Leclerc back ahead. This back-and-forth highlighted the difficulties Ferrari faced in managing race strategy under pressure.
Leclerc explained that he was not fully aware of Hamilton’s on-track frustrations and emphasized that no personal issues exist between them.
I knew Lewis was on a medium, so if anything he would struggle a bit more to go to the end than me, so we had to take care of tyres,
Leclerc said. He went on to acknowledge Hamilton’s desire to try a different approach, stating that,
I would have done the same thing if I was him, trying to be a bit more aggressive with the medium tyres. So there’s no bad feelings with Lewis, not at all.
Highlighting wider team shortcomings, Leclerc admitted that Ferrari must improve its decision-making in such complex scenarios. Reflecting on the race, he pointed out that more discussion before executing position swaps might have prevented complications.
Today was not ideal and was far from maximising our potential, but we’ve got to regroup as a team and be better,
he said. Leclerc also noted that the closeness of Carlos Sainz complicated their strategy, as Sainz was unexpectedly nearby, increasing pressure on tyre management and race tactics.
In further comments, Leclerc described his own frustrations during the race, especially when battling in the dirty air behind Hamilton. His radio messages revealed concerns about tyre degradation, but he explained the context to avoid misinterpretation.
There is the frustration already that I was fighting for P8 at the time and I was not making any gains,
he said.
I was really struggling with the car, so there’s the frustration of that and then all the rest, it all adds up. The radio is not always the real picture.
Leclerc’s focus throughout was on protecting his tyres, which had already suffered early wear from duels with Sainz.
I was obviously focusing on my race, on my tyres, I was trying to really keep them because I had already the first lap fighting with Carlos with the new tyres and that’s not really what I wanted, so then I had to take care of my tyres and that was it,
he added. This careful management contrasted with Hamilton’s push to be more aggressive, showing the challenging balance within Ferrari’s race dynamics.
The Ferrari team order drama during the Miami GP underscores the delicate nature of in-race strategy, especially when teammates have different tyre choices and race objectives. For Charles Leclerc, the incident is a reminder that team harmony can withstand pressure, but Ferrari’s overall approach needs refinement to avoid lost opportunities. As Leclerc suggested, better communication and mutual understanding will be essential as the team strives to maximize results amid fierce competition.
Looking ahead, this episode may push Ferrari to enhance how they handle race strategy and internal orders, aiming to reduce tension and confusion in future races. For Charles Leclerc, maintaining a professional and calm outlook despite the frustration shows maturity and focus, qualities that will be vital as the team continues to chase success amid ongoing challenges in the Formula 1 season.
