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Lewis Hamilton’s frustrations continued at the Austrian Grand Prix, as a mid-race strategy disagreement with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, highlighted the tension that’s been quietly building during his early days at Ferrari. Despite pushing to stay out on a one-stop strategy, Hamilton eventually followed team orders to pit — a decision he later admitted was likely the correct one.
As the race entered its second phase, Hamilton made it clear over the team radio that he wanted to extend his stint on the current set of tyres. “My tyres are okay. Can I extend? How many more laps left?” he asked. Adami responded by calling him into the pits: “And box, 20 laps.” Hamilton resisted: “I don’t want to stop.” But Adami doubled down with the call: “Box, box.”
Hamilton rejoined the race in fourth place and finished there, trailing teammate Charles Leclerc by just over nine seconds. After the race, Hamilton told DAZN F1 that a one-stop strategy was possible, but later softened his stance. “In the end, I saw that the decision taken was probably the right one,” he acknowledged.
Struggles with Team Dynamics and Strategy
It’s been a challenging transition to life in red. Eleven rounds into his Ferrari career, Hamilton has yet to secure a podium. Leclerc, on the other hand, has already claimed four podium finishes this season and holds a 28-point lead over Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.
Hamilton’s post-race comments reflected his ongoing struggle to adapt to the SF-25, which featured updates in Austria. “I generally struggle to drive this car in the race,” he admitted. “I had issues with understeer, oversteer, and the brakes overheating. On a track like this, you need stability and rotation, and I just couldn’t get it.”
Next up is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Hamilton is a record nine-time winner. A strong result on home soil could be the momentum shift he desperately needs.
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