Lewis Hamilton said he was “lacking information” from the Ferrari pitwall when he made the decision to stay out on slick tyres as the rain began to fall more heavily towards the end of Sunday’s chaotic, season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The 40 year-old, who briefly led the race after the leaders pitted, ultimately finished 10th on what he described as a “very tricky” debut for the Scuderia which went “a lot worse than I thought it would”.
Hamilton was heard expressing frustration with his new race engineer, Italian Riccardo Adami, at multiple points during the race, most notably after he decided to stay out when the rain began to fall in the final 15 laps. He was eventually forced to pit as the track became too slippery, tumbling down the field. “I thought you said it wasn’t going to rain much?” he said. “We missed a big opportunity there. What position am I back in? P9? S---.”
Hamilton said afterwards that he had been given limited information. “Unfortunately at the end they told me it was only a ‘short shower’,” he said. “The rest of the track was dry so I was like, ‘I’m going to stick it out as long as I can, and keep it on the dry [line]’. But they didn’t say more [rain] was coming. And then more came. So I think I was just lacking that bit of information at the end.”
Hamilton was earlier heard telling Adami – who was Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer at Toro Rosso and later Ferrari, where he worked most recently with Carlos Sainz – to “leave me to it” when the Italian tried to speak to him about various settings.
The Briton admitted it would take time to get used to a new relationship after working with Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington for his entire career at Mercedes. But he praised Adami in general.
“I think Riccardo did a really good job,” he said. “We’re learning about each other and, bit by bit, after this, we’ll download and go through all the comments, all the things I said. Generally I’m not one who likes a load of comments [from his engineer] during a race. If I need it I’ll ask for it. But he did his best today and we’ll go through it.”
Hamilton said the weekend as a whole had been difficult, with the race itself a “crash course” in driving in the wet in a new car.
“Sometimes that’s okay but it felt like I was in the deep, deep end today. Just everything was new. From the first time driving it in the rain, the car was behaving a lot different to what I’ve experienced in the past – the power unit, the steering functions they’re throwing to you, you’re trying to juggle it all.
“I’ve definitely made a step but it’s just confidence. On Friday, particularly in the high speed [corners], I was down all the time [on team-mate Charles Leclerc]. And then on Saturday the confidence came back and I was building, building, building. And then we got to the race and again I was starting from scratch. I didn’t have any confidence for pretty much the whole race.”
He added: “It went a lot worse than I thought it would go. The car was really, really hard to drive today. I’m just grateful that I kept it out of the wall because that’s where it wanted to go most of the time.”
Hamilton’s team-mate Leclerc, who began the race in P7, one place ahead of Hamilton, also had an eventful race.
The Monegasque was also left out on slicks after the rain fell, spun his car, pitted behind Hamilton, coming out behind him in P10, before then passing him again en route to 8th.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted he had been surprised to see both Ferraris stay out a few extra laps after everyone else pitted.
“I think you’ve always got to react very much to what’s going on around you, and when it’s p---ing down in the pit lane, it’s usually a good time to put some wet tyres on,” he said.
What was said
Lap 15/57
Lewis Hamilton asks his engineer, Riccardo Adami, to tell him where he is slow.
“Let me know where I’m slow. I’m struggling with driveability. The car is snappy.”
Later on in the lap he tells his engineer to “leave him to it”.
Lap 29/57
Hamilton, struggling to pass the Williams of Alex Albon, is told about upshifting in one of the DRS zones.
“To avoid denying DRS, we suggest upshift and then DRS,” Adami explained to Hamilton.
“Yes, I know. Leave me to it,” he responds. “I’m learning the car as I go mate, just leave me to it with the DRS. It’s not an issue.”
Lap 32/57
Hamilton is told to try using “K1”, which most likely refers to an overtake mode or aid. He responds saying that he is “not close enough” to deploy it.
Lap 48/57
Hamilton, who had chosen to stay out on slicks, finally pits after a safety car is deployed following crashes for Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto, re-emerging in P9.
“I thought you said it wasn’t going to rain much? We missed a big opportunity there.
“What position am I back in? P9? S---.
“S---. Sorry, didn’t realise the radio was on,” he responded.
Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok suggested after the race that Hamilton and Adami “need to talk” before China. “One of the things that came out of all the radio messages we played was that he and his engineer Riccardo Adami need to have a bit more time to understand just how much communication Lewis wants and what type of information.
“There were a number of times Lewis asked, ‘Tell me something’. They would give him information but then Lewis said, ‘It’s too much, stop telling him and leave it to me.’ They just need to build that bond.
“Race engineers and drivers will spend more time together than they do with their partners in the season. It’s still round one and they just have to find their feet, maybe have a conversation between now and China. I would be interested to listen to the radio in China and see if it’s different. They just need to have a conversation.”
