Experts are advocating for the dismissal of Hamilton's race engineer.

      "Are you mad at me or something?"

      Frederic Vasseur has once more downplayed the recent issues at Ferrari, specifically the increasing tension between Lewis Hamilton and his engineer. While the team was taken by surprise by Charles Leclerc’s strong pace, seven-time world champion Hamilton found himself significantly behind. When asked if he understood the reason for the large gap, the 40-year-old replied simply, "Nope. It happens."

      What was evident, however, was that the communication issues between Hamilton and his race engineer Riccardo Adami only deteriorated further on Sunday. Hamilton acknowledged that he was in "no man’s land" during the race, prompting him to inquire to Adami over the radio: "What do you need from me?" Among the complex responses, Adami communicated, "This is our race."

      Following the race, Hamilton told the media, "The information wasn’t exactly that clear. I didn’t fully grasp ’this is our race’. Was I contending for the next position ahead? In reality, when I examined the data, I was nowhere close to the front runners. I had burned through my tires a lot in that moment, but I was so far behind anyway."

      After qualifying, Hamilton received a penalty after Adami informed him that Max Verstappen behind him was "slowing down," which led to the Red Bull driver being notably impeded during a hot lap. Upon finishing the race on Sunday, Hamilton expressed gratitude to his crew for swiftly repairing his car before qualifying, but Adami did not respond. "Are you upset with me or something?" Hamilton queried over the radio.

      Sticking to his usual stance, team boss Vasseur asserted that there’s nothing amiss. "Honestly, it’s not a tension arising from a guy asking something. He’s feeling the pressure, he’s in a tough spot, he’s fighting. When I spoke with him after the race, he was not upset."

      Former F1 test driver Ho-Pin Tung believes it may be time for Ferrari to contemplate assigning Hamilton a new engineer. "He worked with Peter Bonnington for a long time because the engineer is the most crucial person in the team for the driver," he remarked to Viaplay. "That relationship must be strong. If not, it simply hampers performance."

      Another Viaplay analyst, GT3 driver Indy Dontje, suggested more strongly, "Things weren’t going well between Adami and Carlos Sainz either. I think he should go. He now has a seven-time world champion in the car, and that driver expects something from you. Adami simply doesn’t deliver. Hamilton deserves the very best. Vasseur replaced Charles Leclerc’s engineer at Ferrari," Dontje continued. "I don’t understand why they haven’t intervened now. Hamilton should be able to demand that."