Lewis Hamilton again clashed with his new race engineer after a humbling race in China which saw him finish sixth.

Hamilton finished sixth in Shanghai but did so having moved over for Charles Leclerc despite the latter having damage.

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari frustrations continue

The two Ferraris got a little too close for comfort in the opening lap as Leclerc took too much kerb and ended up hitting his front wing on the side of Hamilton’s car.

Thankfully for the concerned team members watching on from the Ferrari garage, Hamilton was left unscathed but Leclerc lost his left end plate, causing his car to lose performance.

However, Ferrari said the problem was manageable and not only did he carry on as normal, he was quick enough to prompt Hamilton to offer to move aside.

Lewis Hamilton: “I think I’m gonna let Charles go because I’m struggling.”
Riccardo Adami: “Understood.”

But Hamilton appeared to change his mind just moments later, holding Leclerc up but saying his team-mate needed to be closer.

Charles Leclerc (stuck behind Hamilton): “This is a shame. The pace is there.”
Told to swap at Turn 14, Hamilton says he’ll let Charles through “when he’s closer”.
Hamilton: “I’m closing up a little bit [on George Russell]”
Adami: “Can we swap this lap now?”
Hamilton: “I’ll tell you when we can swap.”

Eventually, Hamilton did allow Leclerc to pass in Lap 21 prompting Leclerc’s race engineer to apologise for the delay.

That delay may well have proven costly given Max Verstappen was able to pass Leclerc for P4 late in the race while Hamilton finished 25 seconds off winner Oscar Piastri.

Hamilton was not immune to clashes at Mercedes but even in the early stages of his Ferrari career, the conversations with Adami are far more hostile and blunt.

Twice in as many races, the communication has been an issue between driver and engineer with Hamilton asking for less information in Melbourne and then more in China.

More reaction from the Chinese Grand Prix

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‘Probably helped’ – Leclerc’s ‘extra-flexi’ wing catches Norris and Russell’s eyes after Hamilton clash

And with Ferrari arguably the third quickest car on track at best, it is not an ideal start to life in red for Hamilton who many had hoped would find a new vein of form following the move.

The drivers are separated by one point in the standings but Leclerc has finished ahead in both grands prix so far. It is only the sprint race, which Hamilton won, that the Briton has had the advantage.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton was reluctant to give too many details, saying just 38 words to the two questions he was asked.

“I struggled,” he told Sky Sports F1. “I didn’t have any rear end, and then the car wasn’t turning at low speeds. So yesterday [in the sprint], I didn’t have that problem.

“I was just struggling with pace so it was like let me try something.”

Read next: Chinese GP: Piastri wins in McLaren 1-2 as Ferrari clash, Red Bull run anonymous