Lewis Hamilton relationship update issued by Ferrari team-mate

Charles Leclerc has issued an update on his relationship with Lewis Hamilton after Ferrari introduced team orders at the Miami Grand Prix.

The pair swapped positions twice during Sunday’s race, with the first instance happening because Hamilton believed he should be freed from behind Leclerc after opting for the faster medium tyres compared to his team-mate on the hard compound.

However, when Hamilton failed to pass Kimi Antonelli for P6 he returned the position to Leclerc, and despite some sarcastic radio messages from Hamilton, the Monegasque driver has revealed that there are no hard feelings between the pair.

"I knew Lewis was on a medium, so if anything he would struggle a bit more to go to the end than me, so we had to take care of tyres, but I understand as well that he wanted to try and do something different, so I appreciate that," Leclerc told media after the race.

"I mean I would have done the same thing if I was him, trying to be a bit more aggressive with the medium tyres, so there's no bad feelings with Lewis, not at all.

"We need to do better, that's for sure. Today was not ideal and was far from maximising our potential, but we've got to regroup as a team and be better."

What was behind Ferrari’s poor performance in Miami?

Both Leclerc and Hamilton finished behind the Williams of Alex Albon, who secured an impressive result in P5 with Ferrari frequently outpaced by the team across the weekend.

Following qualifying on Saturday, Leclerc complained that Ferrari were not where the other teams were in regards to pace, and claimed they lacked the downforce of their rivals.

Leclerc added that the slower corners at the Miami International Autodrome only highlighted Ferrari’s weaknesses further, offering an insight into how Williams managed to leapfrog the team this weekend.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed that they will bring small updates to the car for the next race at Imola, with another step for the team expected at the Spanish GP at the end of May.

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