Lewis Hamilton's long-standing communication difficulties with Ferrari resurfaced at the Brazilian Grand Prix, costing him valuable points in the closing stages of the race. Starting at the back of the grid alongside Max Verstappen due to engine penalties, Hamilton could not match the Dutchman's climb to the podium.
Ferrari struggled to get their tyres working in both wet and dry conditions, meaning Hamilton was never in contention for a strong result. However, points were thrown away late on when a fresh shower doused the Interlagos track and Ferrari took too long to bring Hamilton into the pits for intermediate tyres.
Radio Miscommunication Costs Hamilton
Hamilton was told over the radio by race engineer Carlo Santi to "box for inters" – a clear instruction on the face of it. But Hamilton did not enter the pit lane and replied to Santi shortly afterwards: "You hadn't told me it was raining, I thought I could carry on."
That left him on slick tyres on a wet track for an extra lap, costing him precious time as he slid all over the place. It nearly put him in the wall as his Ferrari spun on approach to the pit lane, the rear wing whacking the barrier. Luckily, the car sustained no serious damage.
Hamilton Calls for Better Information
He was doomed from that moment to a ninth-placed finish, dropping him to fourth in the drivers' standings. Hamilton again suggested the quality of information given to him at the time was not good enough.
He said: "They didn't say it was raining more in the first half of the lap. If I'd have known that, I would have come in. As soon as I got to turn one, I realised it was wet. So, it just lacked a little bit of information there." He did take responsibility, apologising to the team for failing to follow the instruction to pit.
Old Issues Creep Back In
It comes back to insufficient communication between the seven-time world champion and a team desperate to bring back their own glory days. It was one of the key difficulties he encountered in a wretched first year with Ferrari. Hamilton was initially paired with vastly experienced race engineer Riccardo Adami, but they never gelled.
Team boss Frederic Vasseur approved his driver's request for personnel changes, including a new race engineer. Santi came in, initially as a temporary solution but the arrangement was made permanent a few races into the season, Hamilton already much happier.
But old issues have since crept back in and more angry and tense radio exchanges have been heard since the summer break. Hamilton's frustration is understandable – he turns 42 in January and knows he is running out of time to make this Ferrari project a success. But all his past glory came with the ever-dependable Peter 'Bono' Bonnington in his ear at Mercedes. Unless Ferrari can somehow replicate such a fruitful partnership, it will be so much harder for Hamilton to summit the F1 world one last time.
