Lewis Hamilton defends Miami GP outburst with ‘fire in belly’ claim

Lewis Hamilton reckoned that he has managed to control his aggressive side on the team radio against Ferrari's botched strategy calls.

Lewis Hamilton defends Miami GP outburst with ‘fire in belly’ claim

Lewis Hamilton (via Planetf1)

The Miami GP turned out to be a disastrous race for Lewis Hamilton as he was unable to amass any notable results. The Briton was also involved in a verbal argument with Ferrari’s pit wall during the latter stages of the race. The 40-year-old was on a faster compound compared to his teammate Charles Leclerc and wanted to be let through to fight for a better position. Still, the Italian constructor’s controversial decision caused Hamilton to burst out on the team radio towards the end. The seven-time champion has now defended his comments and provided clarity over why he said what he said.

Lewis Hamilton couldn’t hold back from making some sarcastic remarks on the team radio when he wasn’t let past Charles Leclerc. The 40-year-old wanted to create an urgency and push the team to make a decision in his favor. However, the decision to swap teammates was reversed towards the end as Hamilton’s frustration only increased by then. The Briton failed to close the gap to Kimi Antonelli ahead and hence had to give up his position to Leclerc in the end.

Hamilton came clean after the end of the race and did not hesitate to speak his mind clearly. The 40-year-old reckoned that he could’ve said much worse stuff on the team radio but refrained from doing so. Moreover, a majority of the things he said on the radio were simply sarcasm and didn’t mean to disrespect the team or his race engineer. The Briton clarified that he was under immense pressure in the car, and time was of the essence back then. This was the reason that he couldn’t remain as peaceful on the team radio as much as he wanted to.

I could have said way worse things on the radio. You hear some of the things others have said in the past. Some of it was sarcasm. You’ve got to understand we’re under a huge amount of pressure within the car. You’re never going to get the most peaceful messages coming through in the heat of the battle. And yeah. It was fine

Lewis Hamilton said, as reported by The New York Times

Lewis Hamilton managed to suppress his true feelings very well on the team radio without letting out any curses. The Briton revealed that he swallowed a lot of his words and refrained from using aggressive language. Still, he asserts that he has that ‘fire’ in his belly that could make him burst out on the team radio if things do not go his way at all. Regardless, he remained calm and did not hurl any abuses towards the team or his race engineer. This showcases how well the seven-time champion manages his attitude even during the most intense moments on the track.

I’ve still got my fire in my belly, I could feel a bit of it really coming up there.

Lewis Hamilton added

Lewis Hamilton assures ‘no problems’ with Charles Leclerc or Ferrari

The Miami GP was the second time that Lewis Hamilton flipped out on the team radio against his race engineer. His debut race with Ferrari in Australia saw a similar exchange on the team radio between the two. Still, Hamilton has reassured that he holds no personal grudges against the team or his Monegasque counterpart Charles Leclerc. All the comments were in the heat of the moment, and he meant no disrespect on a deeper personal level. Still, he acknowledged the negative side of the situation and how things did not turn out in his favor.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (via Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc (via Ferrari)

Hamilton reckoned that the decision to swap him with Leclerc did not come quickly enough. He had already burned a lot of rubber on his faster compounds while the team waited on a final decision. But, the 40-year-old iterates that the unnecessary delay in the team call was his only concern as he had no personal vendetta against Ferrari. The Briton reassured that he had nothing against Leclerc or the Italian constructor as he now hopes to not suffer from a similar problem heading into the future races.

I didn’t think the decision came quick enough, And for sure, in that time you’re like, ‘Come on!’ But yeah. That’s really kind of it. I have no problems with the team or with Charles.

Lewis Hamilton noted

Ferrari isn’t only suffering from botched race calls or strategy while on the track. The pace of the SF-25 challenger is also highly mediocre as compared to the rival teams at the forefront. Hamilton is rendered unable to contend for the race wins over the season as the team now hopes for – magic recovery. Time will tell how the Italian constructor copes with the incessant struggles in performance against the rivals.

Read More: (Video) Lando Norris caught on camera flipping off Max Verstappen during Miami GP