Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Miami, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lewis Hamilton's 'honeymoon' with 'lady in red' ends in heated exchange

The seven-time world champion has endured a difficult start to life at Ferrari

Kevin McKenna

Wednesday 7 May 2025 18:57 Updated: 19:31

A heated exchange has all but signalled the end of Lewis Hamilton's 'honeymoon' period at Ferrari.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion made the blockbuster switch to the Italian giants during the off-season after calling time on a historic 12-year spell at Mercedes.

Hamilton made no secret of his delight having completed the move, admitting he was excited to fulfil a long-held dream by representing one of the sport's most iconic outfits.

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But that dream has since turned into a nightmare, with a string of poor results and performances leaving his championship ambitions in tatters, and sparking plenty of frustration from the man himself.

He endured another poor afternoon at last weekend's Miami Grand Prix, finishing eighth, prompting Sky Sport Italy pundit Leo Turrini to issue a damning verdict as part of his post-race report card.

Rating his display as a 6/10, he said: "Starts twelfth, finishes eighth. The rest is a frustration that he doesn't even hide anymore. Honeymoon never started with the Lady in Red."

Tension builds after Miami GP

His brutal assessment comes after Hamilton was involved in a tense back-and-forth with race engineer Ricciardo Adami in the closing stages at the Miami International Autodrome.

On faster tyres, Hamilton urged the team to allow him to swap positions with team-mate Charles Leclerc in a late effort to catch up with Kimi Antonelli in sixth spot.

But while that request was eventually granted, the 40-year-old spent four laps in the dirty air of the Monegasque, and made his feelings clear regarding the delay over the decision with a rather sarcastic comment.

Adami said: "Understood, we swapped the cars," to which Hamilton replied: "Have a tea break while you're at it!"

Later on, when Hamilton was asked to let his team-mate back through, Adami reminded him of the gap to Carlos Sainz behind, with Hamilton then responding: "Do you want me to let him through as well?"

The former Silver Arrows star was quick to play it down after the race, but his frustration was clear as he reflected on another disappointing outing.

Hamilton has finished in the top five just once in six grands prix for his new team this season, and currently sits seventh in the drivers' standings, two places behind Leclerc.

His misery has been compounded by the form of his Mercedes replacement, Kimi Antonelli, and former colleague George Russell, who finished on the podium for the fourth time in 2025 on Sunday.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Miami Grand Prix