Lewis Hamilton takes aim at "far worse" Max Verstappen amid radio focus

Lewis Hamilton has hit out at what he feels is exaggerated coverage of his F1 radio exchanges with new Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami.

The seven-time world champion endured a hugely disappointing Ferrari debut as he could only finish 10th in a wet and chaotic season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

An incorrect strategy call ruined Hamilton’s brief hopes of a podium finish, while teammate Charles Leclerc only came home eighth in what marked a miserable start to the new season for Ferrari.

Hamilton’s race was defined by some increasingly tetchy radio exchanges with Adami, as the 40-year-old Briton appeared to grow frustrated at repeated instructions he was receiving.

Ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton downplayed suggestions of any issues between himself and Adami.

"I mean, naturally, everyone overegged,” Hamilton is quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “It was literally just a back-and-forth. I was very polite in how I had suggested it. I said: 'leave it to me, please’.

“I wasn't saying 'F you'. I wasn't swearing. So it was just at that point, I was really struggling with the car and I needed full focus on these couple of things.

"We're getting to know each other. He's obviously had two champions or more in the past and there's no issues between us still.”

Hamilton, who enjoyed one of the most successful-ever driver-engineer partnerships with Peter ‘Bono’ Bonington during his 12 year-stint at Mercedes, insisted such communication is a normal part of getting to know each other.

"Ultimately, we're literally just getting to know each other,” he added.

"So afterwards I'm like: 'hey bro, I don't need that bit of information but if you want to give me this, this is the place I'd like to do it'. This is how I'm feeling in the car and, at these points, this is when I do and don't need the information’.

"That's what it's about. There are no issues, it's done with a smiley face and we move forwards."

Max Verstappen comparison made

Hamilton drew a pointed comparison to the radio exchanges between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

Verstappen and Lambiase are well-known for their at-times feisty radio conversations, with several exchanges making headlines in recent seasons.

Lambiase has regularly been praised for his cool and collected responses to the often fiery Dutchman.

Hamilton was keen to point the finger at former title rival Verstappen, who he believes is among the drivers who are “far worse” when it comes to radio exchanges.

"Go and listen to the radio calls with others and their engineers, far worse,” Hamilton said.

“But unfortunately, you make… the conversation that Max has with an engineer over the years, the abuse that the poor guy [Gianpiero Lambiase]'s taken and you never write about it, but you wrote about the smallest little discussion I had with mine."