Ted Kravitz Rejects Lewis Hamilton’s Allegation of Overlooking Max Verstappen’s “Abusive” Dynamic With Gianpiero Lambiase

Vidit Dhawan | 27/03/2025
F1 Grand Prix Of China Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari looks on during the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China, on March 23, 2025.

With Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari after more than a decade at Mercedes, where he had the same team around him for years, an adjustment period was always expected. One of the biggest changes he faced was parting ways with long-term race engineer Peter Bonnington. His tense start with new race engineer Riccardo Adami only added to the challenge.

Hamilton had a heated exchange with Adami at the season opener in Australia. The Italian repeatedly instructed him to activate the K1 button repeatedly, prompting the seven-time champion to snap back, telling him to leave him alone. This led to criticism from fans and experts over his radio behavior.

Hamilton, however, brought Max Verstappen into the discussion, insisting that his exchange was nothing compared to the treatment Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, endures. He argued that Verstappen has rarely been criticized for it and felt that too much was made of his own interaction with Adami.

Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz, however, countered Hamilton’s claim, explaining that Verstappen has been criticized for his radio exchanges as well.

“Of course, we do say something about that a lot of the time,” Kravitz said on The F1 Show before. He explained that both Verstappen and Lambiase have acknowledged this as their way of working, with radio messages that can get feisty at times.

Their exchanges have been so intense at times that even Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been asked about them. The Briton summed up their dynamic perfectly—comparing them to an old married couple.

While there may be plenty of criticism about the dynamic between Verstappen and Lambiase, what truly matters is that they have built one of the most successful partnerships in F1. Despite their frequent bickering, they work well together and have secured four Drivers’ Championships.

Hamilton will now aim to develop a similar partnership with Adami if he hopes to clinch his record-breaking eighth title.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Ted Kravitz

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Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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