Lewis Hamilton should part company with Riccardo Adami, his strangely faltering race engineer, now. Only partly because he is likely to do so in the end, and nothing will be served by persevering with patient loyalty.
The seven-time world champion has enough to contend with since moving to Ferrari – a slow car chief among his concerns, but also a new language and an alien culture as well as exacerbated expectation and a seam of serial underperformance – without communicating with his closest colleague as if at cross-purposes.
Hamilton does not like to be pushed into decisions by what he on Thursday called ‘noise’, which translates as opinions other than his own. He, therefore, called talk of disagreement with Adami ‘b.s.’.
Now, Adami is a respected engineer, recommended to him by a predecessor and friend Sebastian Vettel, who worked hand in glove with the Italian at Toro Rosso and brought him along to Ferrari.
Vettel told Hamilton in a telephone call that Adami should be his man, as he was Carlos Sainz’s in the period between Vettel leaving and the British driver arriving in search of an eighth world title.
It has not panned out. Adami has constantly replied to Hamilton’s questions with answers only tangentially linked to the information requested. This trait is an emblem of the different philosophies at work.
Lewis Hamilton insists talk of a rift with Riccardo Adami is ‘b.s.’ but it’s not making his life easy
Adami is a respected engineer but that doesn’t mean he is the right man to work with Hamilton
Hamilton has been let down by communication breakdowns since moving to Ferrari this season
There is no doubt that Adami would already be fitted out for a new designation at Ferrari, where he is highly rated as a star engineer, if Hamilton had a ready replacement.
The perfect choice would be Peter Bonnington, his race engineer of 12 years at Mercedes. But he was unavailable when Hamilton sprung his surprise decision to leave Mercedes last year. The defector’s contract did not allow him to take staff from within.
Bonnington has since been promoted at Mercedes as well as acting as Kimi Antonelli’s race engineer, a master-pupil relationship ‘Bono’ is relishing.
Monaco last week was a new low in the unfolding of Radio Gaga, dating back to Australia. Back in Melbourne, Hamilton snapped: ‘Leave me to it,’ as Ferrari fumbled in the rain.
In Miami, he thought the decision-making so slow they, ‘might as well take a tea break while you’re at it’.
Then, in Monaco, Adami told him Max Verstappen was on a slow lap in qualifying. He wasn’t. He was on a fast one. Hamilton impeded the Dutchman and was penalised three places.
In the race, similar miscommunication, and periods of silence.
‘What do you need from me?’ Hamilton asked.
It was four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel who recommended Adami to Hamilton
Hamilton backed up his fourth place at Imola by finishing in fifth at the Monaco Grand Prix
Team principal Fred Vasseur has tried, rather unconvincingly, to insist that there is no problem
‘Push,’ replied Adami. ‘This is our race.’
It was as confusing then as it sounds now. Hamilton was never contending for the podium and wasted his tyres in meeting this misleading call to arms.
At the end, having finished a distant fifth, Hamilton asked: ‘Are you upset with me or something?’
Adami offered no response. Was it a telling silence?
Team principal Fred Vasseur offered the bizarre explanation that there is never communication as drivers wrestle with corners. But Hamilton’s question was posed on his in-lap, the race completed.
Vasseur has previously accused the F1 people of cherry-picking exchanges to distort the bickering. Perhaps, but if so only because there is a fault line to exploit. Lewis finds himself in a team low on morale and hitherto short of answers, whether broadcast or not.
Morocco is winning the race to join F1 calendar
My old pal Eric Boullier was back in the Monaco paddock last weekend and still in gainful employment after his exit from McLaren. Part of him is involved in bringing four-seat car equivalents of Lime bikes to major cities.
The Frenchman is also working with the Moroccans in their bid to host a Formula One race.
South Africa was in the running a couple of years ago. Not now. Morocco is the best hope, with the backing of Middle Eastern money, I am told. No surprise there.
The world championship needs to reach Africa to buttress its claims to global importance.
My instinct to embrace the prospect was reinforced by the absurd notion of Barcelona, host of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, returning after next year’s supposed swansong.
Fernando Alonso eulogised the venue, as well he might. But Madrid is due to chime in from 2026, if built on time, and two races in Spain would be an absurd overkill.
For one, Alonso will not be driving much longer, the great champion on a farewell lap, however long he makes it last. And the Circuit de Catalunya is a tired old relic, its infrastructure crusty and expired.
Barcelona are pleading to form part of a rotating cast, along with the likes of the far preferable Imola. Their pleadings should be scorned.
Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona is a tired old relic, its infrastructure crusty and expired
Vowles only has eyes for Williams
I like James Vowles. I also believe he intends to make the transformation of Williams into a world championship force again the work of his life.
I don’t accept, as some assume, that he wants to use his current job as team principal as a stepping stone to the equivalent chair at Mercedes.
If I am right, it makes it all the more astonishing that he sent a message to Toto Wolff during the Monaco Grand Prix apologising for backing his drivers into the Mercedes’ pair (in response to Racing Bulls’ strategy).
An in-race text at the height of battle in elite sport? Pardon me.
Team principal James Vowles is fully focused on bringing the glory days back to Williams
Szafnauer’s faith in British values
Otmar Szafnauer was another former team principal at Monaco. He is working on bringing a 12th team into Formula One (Cadillac being the 11th whenever they are ready to show up).
One ingredient Otmar is insisting upon is the embryonic team being based in the UK. Outside that ecosystem is a dark place for Formula One. Where is the cross-pollination of staff and the ideas they circulate?
It is Ferrari’s bind, the best explanation of why success in Maranello is sporadic.
Ferrari are F1’s Real Madrid
Speaking of Madrid’s arrival as a Formula One venue brought to mind a parallel between Lewis Hamilton and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The latter is off to Real Madrid from Liverpool. No matter that Arne Slot has worked a miracle at Anfield and more success is distinctly possible, he is joining Real because of its magical pull. It is the club of 15 European Cups. And of Alfredo Si Stefano, Ference Puskas, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Who could say no to its call, even if Real are currently playing second fiddle to Barcelona?
For Real read Ferrari. They haven’t won a world championship since 2008. But they have won a record 31 in all. And men such as Alberto Ascari, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher raced them to the summit.
Again, who could say no to the allure, no matter what modern history instructs the head?
Trent Alexander Arnold has been drawn to Real Madrid much like Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari
Horner hovers on the horizon for under-fire Vasseur
Fantasy’. That was Ferrari’s reaction to a report claiming Christian Horner has been tapped up as recently as earlier this season to take over the Scuderia, presumably in place of Fred Vasseur.
The story must be unsettling for the chortling Frenchman, given the team’s failure to live up to their pre-season hopes.
Vasseur is secure for now. It must, however, be obvious to him that he needs to orchestrate a perceptible upturn before the end of the year. Otherwise, as they always do at Maranello, the whispers will grow louder.
