Lewis Hamilton Faces Communication Issues After Monaco Grand Prix

MONACO, Monaco — Lewis Hamilton finished fifth at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, but his experience was marked by frustrating communication issues with his Ferrari race engineer, Riccardo Adami. Despite Ferrari’s solid performance overall, with teammate Charles Leclerc finishing second, Hamilton’s weekend fell short of expectations.

Hamilton qualified fourth but started from seventh due to a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during qualifying. He initially struggled with performance, being 0.5 seconds behind Leclerc after the final practice session. That gap decreased to only three-tenths in qualifying, yet he couldn’t keep pace during the race.

During the race, Hamilton remained behind both Isack Hadjar‘s Racing Bulls and Fernando Alonso‘s Aston Martin for the first laps, costing him valuable time and contributing to his 45-second gap from race winner Lando Norris. “I felt stuck in no man’s land,” Hamilton said of his race experience while expressing disappointment to the media.

A significant radio exchange occurred as Hamilton tried to clarify his position in the race. He asked Adami if he was a minute behind the front runners, receiving unclear responses that only fueled his frustration. “You’re not answering the question,” he responded, highlighting ongoing communication problems.

After finishing the race, Hamilton experienced another awkward moment when he thanked his team for their efforts but then inquired, “Are you upset with me or something?” It was met with silence from Adami, raising questions about their working relationship.

Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, downplayed the tension, suggesting the radio silence occurred because of the Monaco circuit’s risks. “It’s not that we are sleeping, it’s just a protocol we have with the driver,” he explained in a post-race briefing.

Despite his struggles, Hamilton recognized the challenges of adapting to a new car. “It’s a much different car driving here than I’ve had in the last 12 years,” he remarked, indicating that he still has a learning curve with Ferrari. This race continues to raise questions about Hamilton’s performance during the 2025 season as he seeks to find his footing with the team.