Lewis Hamilton refused to apologise for his sarcastic exchanges with his Ferrari team in the Miami Grand Prix, insisting he was only panicking because he is ‘a fighter’.
The seven-time world champion was frustrated as his pit wall took their time responding to his request for team-mate Charles Leclerc to let him through.
They did so in the end, but not before Hamilton protested: ‘Have a tea break while you’re at it. Come on!’
He had previously complained: ‘Do you want me just to sit here the whole race?’ and added as Ferrari prevaricated: ‘This is not good teamwork. That’s all I’m going to say.’
Ironically, Hamilton could not make headway once Leclerc moved aside, so team principal Fred Vasseur swapped the pair back, as per the Scuderia’s rules of engagements.
Hamilton finished eighth, having started 12th, and Leclerc seventh in a race won by Oscar Piastri with Lando Norris second in an ultra-dominant McLaren one-two.
With the race over, Vasseur went straight to see his aggrieved driver in his room at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Hamilton, who let Leclerc past in China earlier in the season, then turned up for his press duties in a significantly happier mood to give his take on the lively radio chatter.
‘It was all PG at least – right?’ he said.
‘I don’t know what you’re going to write, whether I was disrespectful or whatever. I honestly don’t feel I was. I was just like, “Come on guys, I want to win.” I’ve still got that fire in my belly.
‘I could feel a little bit of it really coming out there. And I’m not going to apologise for being a fighter. I’m not going to apologise for still wanting it. And I know everyone in the team does too.
‘It wasn’t even anger. It was just… you’re sitting there in the chair, you’ve got the stuff in front of you, just make the decision quickly. That’s what I was feeling. I was in a panic, trying to keep the car on the track.’
Ferrari are expected to bring an upgrade to Imola a week on Sunday after a disappointing start to the season that has seen them as arguably only the fourth best team behind McLaren and Mercedes as well as the Red Bull in the hands of Max Verstappen.
Hamilton added: ‘I truly believe that when we fix some of the problems we have with the car, we will be back in the fight with the Mercedes and Red Bulls. It just can’t come quickly enough.
‘We’ll try something different at the next race and keep working on our processes. I look forward to the time when we can fight for a podium.’
