Lewis Hamilton was faced with a frustrating situation at the Miami Grand Prix after being forced to sit behind his teammate on softer tyres.
Wanting to put his Pirelli advantage to use, the seven-time champion campaigned to be let past Charles Leclerc, in order to be able to chase after Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
Ferrari took their time to make a decision, before deciding that it would be a good idea to make use of their extra pace before their tyres fell off a cliff.
When Hamilton was allowed past, he failed to rein Antonelli in quickly enough, and another swap with Leclerc was facilitated. Sadly, the Miami Grand Prix ended with both drivers failing to gain another position after the pit stops.
After debating over the decision for too long, Martin Brundle was stunned at Ferrari’s Hamilton message and couldn’t understand what they wasted so much time doing.
They missed their window of opportunity, and it resulted in Hamilton being frustrated by Ferrari again, one day after he was eliminated early from qualifying on Saturday.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen says Lewis Hamilton did something at the Miami Grand Prix that shows why he’s an F1 champion
Fred Vasseur immediately ‘diffused’ Lewis Hamilton at the Miami Grand Prix by greeting him
The whole exchange left Hamilton audibly annoyed over the radio, leading him to joke about letting Williams’ Carlos Sainz past at the end of the race when he had to allow Leclerc back through.
At one stage, the Brit criticised the lack of action when he was behind Leclerc by saying, “This is not good teamwork. That’s all I’m gonna say!”
After his frustrations over the radio (including some from his teammate too), Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur knew exactly how to calm his driver down after the race.
Journalist Adam Cooper noticed an interaction between the two after the race, taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) to explain the situation.
“Lewis Hamilton was in an upbeat and chatty mood when we talked to him, said he enjoyed the race, and especially the pace on mediums,” he said.
“Fred Vasseur diffused any team order tension by going straight to him after the flag and putting an arm round his shoulders.”
READ MORE: Jenson Button has noticed a change in Lewis Hamilton since they were teammates, it hurt him at Miami Grand Prix
Why Lewis Hamilton should have hope after the Miami Grand Prix
After Miami, the Formula 1 season is now 25% completed, with six races down and 18 to go until a champion is crowned.
While a title charge seems unlikely for the Scuderia already, one of their last chances to turn the campaign into something meaningful is approaching fast.
The upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix signals the sport’s return to Europe, where many teams will introduce their first (and maybe only) major upgrades of the season.
Especially at a home race, it could be a significant event for Ferrari. It may be when Hamilton can start to build some momentum and speed in his new car.
If it doesn’t happen, then attention may turn to the 2026 F1 regulations quickly in an effort to get ahead of their rivals at the earliest opportunity.
