Lewis Hamilton backed by Sky F1 star after tense exchange at Belgian GP

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton backed by Sky F1 star after tense exchange at Belgian GP

Lewis Hamilton had a difficult Belgian Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 29 July 2025 09:57 Updated: 12:35

Lewis Hamilton has been supported by Sky Sports F1 star Ted Kravitz after he commented on an awkward exchange at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion had a Spa weekend to forget after a double-Q1 exit in both qualifying sessions, where he had to fight from the pitlane to recover to a points-paying position.

While his SQ1 exit in sprint qualifying was down to a spin, Hamilton's lap that was good enough to see him through to Q2 was deleted after it was found he had exceeded track limits.

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Hamilton did not find out about his deleted lap time until he entered the pits, and asked race engineer Riccardo Adami over team radio: “Is everything okay?"

The 40-year-old received an abrupt response however, and Adami replied: "Track limits at turn four.”

As Hamilton further inquired whether he had been knocked out in Q1, Adami still lacked any sympathy and said: “Yeah. Lap time is deleted. P16."

Kravitz defends Hamilton over Adami message

Adami and Hamilton are new to each other

Several pointed out how awkward the exchange was, including Kravitz who commented on Adami’s delivery during his post-qualifying feature ‘Ted’s Notebook’.

Initially, Kravitz suggested that Hamilton’s former race engineer at Mercedes Peter Bonnington would have handled the elimination with greater sensitivity, with the champion enjoying a friendship with Bono over his career.

"Did you think it was a bit terse on the radio between him and Riccardo Adami, saying, 'Is there something wrong?" Kravitz said.

"I don't know whether I expected a bit more empathy. To say, 'Ah, I'm sorry, Lewis. Bad luck, mate. You're out, hard one by, pal.' The kind of things Bono would have said."

Hamilton and Adami’s team radio altercations have caught attention throughout the 2025 season, where the Brit’s questions being met with silence while he has also snapped at the Italian on occasion.

However, Hamilton clarified in Imola that Adami is a ‘amazing guy to work with' and that they were working through any ‘disagreements’.

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Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Ted Kravitz Belgian Grand Prix Riccardo Adami Peter Bonnington