Charles Leclerc responds to Lewis Hamilton’s radio outburst at Miami GP

Charles Leclerc addressed the Miami GP radio calls made by Lewis Hamilton for wanting a position swap with the Monegasque driver.

Charles Leclerc responds to Lewis Hamilton’s radio outburst at Miami GP

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (via Ferrari)

The Miami GP was another difficult weekend for Scuderia Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton‘s performance struggles remained evident as the seven-time world champion tried to get fully accustomed to the SF-25. However, during the race, Hamilton demanded Ferrari to let him pass Charles Leclerc via team orders. After the race, Leclerc gave his response over the entire ordeal.

In the latter stages of the Miami GP, Lewis Hamilton was behind Charles Leclerc. The British driver was seemingly stuck behind Leclerc with more pace in his car. Initially, Ferrari dismissed his demands of being let through. This infuriated the seven-time world champion who blamed the team. Ultimately, he was allowed to pass Leclerc, albeit a few laps later than he would’ve hoped.

At the end of the race, Lewis Hamilton gave back the position to Leclerc, since the 40-year-old was unable to make his way upfront. Charles Leclerc opened up about the incident, insisting that there were no hard feelings between the two. It is not unusual for teams to implement such orders even when the drivers have equal status. Hamilton respected the decision by giving the position back as he failed to make any further progress.

There’s no bad feelings for Lewis, absolutely not. It’s just that as a team we need to do better and today was a proof of that.

Charles Leclerc said post-race

Charles Leclerc would’ve done the ‘same’ to Lewis Hamilton

Formula 1 has one important rule, your teammate is your first rival. Teammates in F1 are the only ones who can be compared since they race identical cars. This puts pressure on drivers to have an edge over their teammates, and often fans see calls similar to that of Lewis Hamilton in Miami. Charles Leclerc acknowledged that if the roles were reversed, he would’ve done the same thing.

Charles Leclerc (via Getty)
Charles Leclerc (via Getty)

Leclerc mentioned that he understood why Lewis Hamilton was demanding to be let past. The Monegasque driver respected the 40-year-old’s plans of trying to move further ahead in the race. So much so, that Charles Leclerc accepted that he would’ve asked for the same swap if he was in his teammate’s position.

I understand as well that he wanted to try and do something different, so I appreciate that. I would have done the same thing as if I was him and trying to be a bit more aggressive with the medium tires. 

Charles Leclerc said, as reported by Motorsportweek

It appears that the Ferrari camp has settled the fallout from the radio conversations in Miami. The situation had been sorted in the race itself, with both drivers respecting each other. However, fans were not happy with the way things panned out. Ultimately, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are satisfied with the decisions made by the pitwall. The two might demand for more clarity in such situations to avoid any delays in the near future.

Related: “I’m here to race,” Lando Norris gives blunt verdict on fight against Max Verstappen at Miami GP