Lewis Hamilton opens up on 'HAMMER TIME' message in Ferrari race update

Lewis Hamilton, Bono, Peter Bonnington, Mercedes, Abu Dhabi, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Lewis Hamilton opens up on 'HAMMER TIME' message in Ferrari race update

The message has been a shorthand for the driver for years

By Chris Deeley.

Sunday 9 March 2025 20:00

Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton has offered an update on the future of his famous 'hammer time' phrase following his switch to Ferrari.

The seven-time champion has joined the Italian team ahead of the 2025 season, which has seen him depart not only Mercedes, but also his former race engineer Pete 'Bono' Bonnington.

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Hamilton and 'Bono' had a great relationship over the years, with 'hammer time' their go-to phrase for letting the former Mercedes star know it was time to push his car to the limit.

The Brit has previously claimed to have come up with the shorthand himself after growing frustrated by being told 'it's time to push', insisting that he's always pushing when behind the wheel of an F1 car.

Hamilton and engineer Pete Bonnington have had a long relationship

The pair combined for a number of F1 world titles

Will Hamilton keep 'hammer time' message?

However, their partnership has been broken up by Hamilton's stunning move to Ferrari, with Bonnington now working on a new partnership with teenage starlet Kimi Antonelli.

Hamilton was asked by Sky Sports in pre-season whether he's likely to keep the 'hammer time' message without Bonnington, and admitted: “I haven’t spoken to my engineer about that.

“I don’t know how it would sound with an Italian accent, so I’ll have to find an Italian word, probably. We’ll probably find something new.”

Hamilton's new race engineer is Riccardo Adami, a man who previously worked with Sebastian Vettel at the Italian outfit.

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Formula 1