Juan Pablo Montoya comments on Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton radio blunder

Lewis Hamilton shared several frustrated messages over the radio to Ferrari, which led Juan Pablo Montoya to decipher how the Scuderia is too concerned with doing the right thing. The former F1 driver compared the Italian giant to McLaren's 2024 indecisiveness, and urged the team to go beyond the bounds of fairness.

The 40-year-old joined the Maranello-based squad over the winter break and aimed to rewrite history with Ferrari. However, he had to battle intra-team forces as Charles Leclerc had been the prodigy of the Scuderia and has been with the team since 2019.

Similarly, a dilemma stood in front of the Ferrari pitwall in Miami. Hamilton had started the race behind Leclerc. But with the Briton having a faster pace than the Monegasque later on in the race, the seven-time champion had asked the Scuderia to choreograph a swap of positions.

However, the team's hesitancy led Lewis Hamilton to share his frustration over the radio. This caught the eye of the F1 fandom, and Juan Pablo Montoya urged Ferrari not to follow in the footsteps of their rival, McLaren, and said (via Formula Passion):

"It’s not about deciding which driver to prioritise, but about making the right decision to maximise points. Ferrari is too concerned with making the ‘right/fair’ decision, so much so that it hinders the team’s performance. It’s reminiscent of McLaren last season, who could have won the Drivers’ title with a little more cynicism in order management of the stable."

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Lewis Hamilton had consoled Fred Vasseur after his outburst over the radio at the Miami Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton (L) and Fred Vasseur (R) at the F1 75 Live - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton's radio messages soon became iconic, but this was a disaster on paper for the Italian outfit. Subsequently, to cool down the heat, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur stepped in.

He ventured over to Hamilton's motorhome post-race, but the Briton revealed how he could have been way worse over the radio and explained how the situation was normal under the adrenaline-rushing nature of racing, as Hamilton later revealed (via MSN):

"Fred came to my room. I just put my hand on his shoulder and said, ‘Dude, calm down. Don't be so sensitive.’ I could have said way worse things on the radio. You hear some of the things other people have said in the past. Some of it was sarcasm. You've got to understand, we're under a huge amount of pressure in the cars; you're never going to get the most peaceful messages come through in the heat of the battle."

On the other hand, Hamilton had a better Saturday in Miami than a Sunday. He finished in the top three at the Sprint race in Florida, before taking a P8 in the Grand Prix the next day.