Günther Steiner: ‘Lewis Hamilton hasn’t done himself any favours with that’

At the last Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Lewis Hamilton was unhappy with his team’s strategic decisions. He voiced his displeasure over the radio – on several occasions. Initially, he demanded that his team-mate Charles Leclerc make way for him.

“I’m faster than Leclerc, my tyres are better,” he explained. When the Monegasque driver did not immediately comply with the team’s request to head for the pits, the seven-time world champion lost his patience. “We’re just wasting time here,” he snapped, adding shortly afterwards: “What a fabulous way to waste time – great job, lads.” Eventually, Leclerc pulled into the pits, allowing Hamilton to pass.

But the trouble wasn’t over yet. During a virtual safety car period, he radioed back, clearly annoyed: “Are you using me as a guinea pig here or what? How much longer am I supposed to stay out on the track?” The team did eventually use the yellow flag phase to fit Hamilton with fresh soft tyres. In the end, the record-holding GP winner crossed the finish line in fourth place, just ahead of his team-mate. Neither of the two Ferrari drivers was happy, though.

Criticism of Ferrari’s communication

Hamilton, who later apologised on social media for his radio messages, faced criticism from a number of experts. Among them was Günther Steiner, who initially criticised the Maranello team’s approach on the ‘The Red Flags’ podcast.

“Clearly, Ferrari weren’t as well organised as the Silver Arrows,” said the former Haas team principal, referring to the successful position swap carried out by Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli at the Zandvoort Grand Prix. “They’d discussed it beforehand, and clearly the whole thing wasn’t as heated as it was at Ferrari – and that’s obvious when you talk to the drivers beforehand and explain what’s going on. I don’t think it was discussed in as much detail as it was at Mercedes, and that’s what led to this.”

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However, the South Tyrolean also commented on Hamilton’s criticism over the radio: “Lewis didn’t do himself any favours with that, because when you’re sitting at the pit wall and hear something like that, you think to yourself: ‘Oh, he’s practically trying to put himself too much in the spotlight. He’s completely lost sight of the team.’ Instead, he could have said: ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be better if he let me past – I’m faster,’ rather than making the accusation that time had been lost.”