Lewis Hamilton’s performance at the Monaco Grand Prix has drawn significant concern, especially amidst heightened tensions with Ferrari’s race engineer Riccardo Adami. The renowned driver finished fifth, trailing far behind the leading pack, prompting worries about his pace at a circuit he usually excels on.
Former McLaren performance engineer and Aston Martin strategy chief Bernie Collins expressed surprise at Hamilton’s lack of speed during the race, noting that Hamilton had appeared more confident than Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc heading into the weekend. This contrast led Collins to label Hamilton’s struggles as particularly troubling for Ferrari’s prospects.
Details of Hamilton’s setback and team dynamics during Monaco GP
After Ferrari’s disappointing double Q2 elimination at Imola, the team had hoped for a recovery in Monaco, aiming to improve on Hamilton’s fourth and Leclerc’s sixth place finishes. However, expectations were not fully met; Leclerc led every practice session but narrowly missed out on pole, which was claimed by McLaren’s Lando Norris. Leclerc finished second behind Norris in what was his best result of the season.
Hamilton lagged behind in fifth place, finishing 51 seconds behind Norris, 31 seconds behind Max Verstappen, and nearly 48 seconds short of the podium secured by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Collins highlighted how surprising it was that Hamilton, a driver known to excel at Monaco, could not maintain competitive pace with the front runners.
I was a bit surprised that at the second pit stop, Lewis had lost enough time that Piastri could box and come out in front of him,
said Collins.
The new regulations have made the top five drivers push harder than in previous races, but Hamilton was unable to match their pace during Monaco. Collins emphasized,
He seemed much more confident than Leclerc, so that is more worrying for Ferrari.
Race communication issues and fallout within Ferrari team
Hamilton’s frustration extended to his radio exchanges, as he repeatedly pressed for information during the race, including clarifying strategy ahead of his pit stops. At one point, Hamilton misunderstood a message from Adami saying “this is our race,” adding confusion during the critical stages.
Tensions escalated further when Hamilton asked Adami post-race if the engineer was upset with him, after receiving silence over the radio. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur later attempted to downplay the awkward moment, choosing to keep focus on the race outcomes rather than internal strains.
Implications for Ferrari and Hamilton’s future races
This sequence of events at Monaco has raised questions about Hamilton’s current form and Ferrari’s ability to support him effectively. The clear gap to rivals such as Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri highlights a troubling dip in Hamilton’s Monaco GP performance, challenging the assumptions about his competitiveness within the team.
As Ferrari assesses its strategy moving forward, monitoring Hamilton’s ability to regain confidence and pace at upcoming races will be critical. The pressures from internal communication struggles and contrasting expectations set a tense atmosphere that could influence Ferrari’s championship hopes in the near term.
