Hamilton to Adami:"Are you upset with me?"After Monaco GP

Ferrari's newest star left asking if tensions are brewing with race engineer Riccardo Adami following another challenging weekend in the principality

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari honeymoon period hit another bump in Monaco. The seven-time world champion found himself asking his race engineer a pointed question during the cool-down lap.

Hamilton finished fifth at the Monaco Grand Prix while teammate Charles Leclerc claimed second place.

Despite Ferrari securing their best combined points haul of the season from a non-sprint weekend, the atmosphere remained tense.

Radio silence sparks questions

The most revealing moment came after the chequered flag fell.

Race engineer Riccardo Adami delivered a routine message about Hamilton's fifth-place finish and reminded him to collect tire rubber during his cool-down lap.

Hamilton responded professionally, thanking the mechanics for repairing his car after Saturday's practice crash. He acknowledged the difficult weekend but maintained a positive outlook about future races.

Then came an awkward silence. Hamilton eventually broke the quiet with a direct question: "Are you upset with me or something?"

The query received no immediate response from Adami.

Communication breakdown during battle

The post-race exchange wasn't an isolated incident. Earlier tensions surfaced during the race when Hamilton sought crucial information about his position relative to the leading group.

Hamilton asked whether the cars ahead remained "nearly a minute" in front of him. Adami's response focused on tire strategies and close battles but failed to directly answer the timing question.

"You're not answering the question,"

Hamilton replied curtly.

"It doesn't really matter, I guess. I was asking if I'm a minute behind or..."

Adami eventually confirmed the gap stood at 48 seconds. The delayed and indirect communication clearly frustrated Hamilton during crucial race moments.

Team principal downplays tensions

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur moved quickly to dismiss suggestions of growing friction between Hamilton and his engineering team. He explained that Monaco's unique layout creates communication challenges.

"When the driver is asking something between Turn 1 and Turn 3, we have to wait until he reaches the tunnel to reply,"

Vasseur explained. The team avoids speaking during technical corner sequences to prevent distracting the driver.

Vasseur emphasized the pressure drivers face navigating Monaco's narrow streets at 300 kilometers per hour.

confirmed speaking with Hamilton after the race and insisted the driver showed no signs of being upset.

Grid penalty compounds frustrations

Hamilton's weekend difficulties began with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during qualifying.

The incident resulted from Ferrari providing incorrect information about Verstappen's approach at Massenet corner.

This mistake forced Hamilton to start behind slower cars, creating what he described as being "stuck in no man's land" throughout the race. The penalty's consequences extended far beyond the initial grid position loss.

Hamilton spent his opening stint trailing Isack Hadjar's Racing Bulls and Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin. Both cars pitted on laps 14 and 16 respectively, finally giving Hamilton clear track space.

Performance gap remains persistent

The timing data reveals Hamilton's ongoing struggle to match Leclerc's pace in the SF-25. Between laps 33 and 39, Hamilton consistently lost one to three seconds per lap to his teammate.

Hamilton crossed the finish line 51.387 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris. More significantly, he trailed Leclerc by 48.256 seconds despite both drivers using similar strategies.

Traffic played a role in Hamilton's deficit, particularly during his second stint.

The Racing Bulls and Williams employed tactical approaches that bunched the field, making overtaking even more challenging in Monaco's confined spaces.

Hamilton attributes much of his performance gap to unfamiliarity with Ferrari's specific characteristics. Small margins of three-tenths per sector accumulate into substantial deficits over Monaco's 78-lap distance.

"This weekend it's been a bit of a steep learning curve,"

Hamilton admitted after qualifying. The comment proved prophetic as communication issues compounded his on-track struggles throughout the race weekend.

The Monaco Grand Prix highlighted ongoing adaptation challenges as Hamilton continues integrating with his new Ferrari environment.

Whether these communication tensions represent growing pains or deeper issues remains to be seen as the season progresses.