RADIO JARRING: Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari debut at F1 is noisy!

Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated after his over-hyped race debut with Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday at the Albert Park ended in a 10^th place finish. Big bucks have been spent on the Briton, a seven-time world champion. Yet, when Hamilton was seated inside the red beast (SF 25), he did not look comfortable. Racing conditions were treacherous as the skies opened up. It poured in buckets and some of the radio conversations which were going on and could be heard on television were hilarious. One driver was talking about his seat being wet and the same thing being said on radio from the engineers as well in Race Control.

Hamilton knew the Ferrari debut would not be easy. He has come in with massive hype, expected to whip up the Ferrari fan frenzy. The time zones are crazy when a F1 Grand Prix takes place as far away as Australia. For those who had to rub their bleary eyes in Europe and Britain to see Hamilton in the new beast, the feel at the wheel was not great.

Knowing Hamilton and how he can be volatile, he did keep cool, all through, on Sunday. To be with a new team during simulation and testing is different. What pans out on the race track on actual Race Day is much harder and least predictable. Strategy is decided from the paddock/pits and the team owners and engineers have this habit of talking non-stop on the radio. They have access to the whole layout of the track and which car is doing what on each stage of the lap, spread well over 50 laps. There are some factors which can be factored and some which cannot.

Yes, Hamilton is a former champion and he seeks to win more for Ferrari, reclaim past glory. When there is such hype and pressure, it’s best to leave the driver alone and let him figure it out. As it were, the tyre option he had was not the right one in wet conditions which tested man and machine. Perhaps, the worst part was the radio exchange which has now gone viral on social media. The race engineer is constantly barking instructions to Hamilton, , from when to use the DRS (drag reduction system) to how he can upshift the gears, and how he can speed up. Hamilton is patient, almost at his wit’s end, replying to the engineer, he knows what to do. And Hamilton also was courteous, when he said ‘thank you.’ This radio conversation sounded more like a driving instructor offering tips to a novice who has to get his licence after clearing a test to drive on the roads and not a F1 track.

Surely, Hamilton knows enough about Formula One cars and to have been with two big teams before, Ferrari is new. The best would have been to let him figure it out. Yet, the way the race engineer was suggesting options for Hamilton made it so funny on radio. How Hamilton did not lose his cool is a big plus, since he does have a short fuse. Or, maybe, Hamilton would have gone back to the ‘pits’ and given the team a piece of his mind at the post race debriefing.

For those who think racing in wet is kid stuff, the way Max Verstappen fought his way through in rain for a P2 finish was very good. Max had himself said the pace of McLaren would be hot. Sure enough, Lando Norris won the race and for the first time in many years has gone up to the leader board. For Hamilton, the Ferrari debut was one of stress. Nobody goes on barking instructions non-stop on the radio. Let Hamilton settle down. It is not going to happen so fast at Ferrari. They better know it.