Lewis Hamilton ‘Gobsmacked’ After Heartwarming Radio Exchange with Engineer
Lewis Hamilton shared a touching moment with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, after securing pole position for the sprint race in Shanghai. The seven-time world champion was visibly surprised when Adami confirmed his P1 start, breaking into laughter over the team radio—a reaction that Adami quickly mirrored.
Hamilton’s performance in sprint qualifying saw him fend off a late challenge from Max Verstappen, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris fell short of expectations despite strong early showings.
Hamilton Left in Shock by Pole Position
Speaking after the session, Hamilton admitted he was taken aback by the result.
“I’m just a bit gobsmacked, taken aback by it,” he said. “I didn’t know when we would get to this position. After last weekend, it was a difficult start to the week. We came here with aggression, wanting to get the car into a great place, and right from the start, I felt a lot better in the car.”
The Mercedes driver also acknowledged the impressive pace of McLaren throughout winter testing and early races, making his pole position even more of a surprise.
Growing Chemistry with Riccardo Adami
This lighthearted exchange was a stark contrast to the scrutiny surrounding Hamilton and Adami’s communication at the Australian Grand Prix. During their first race together, Hamilton had expressed frustration over the timing and frequency of radio messages, requesting a more streamlined flow of information.
Addressing the situation, Hamilton defended his interactions with Adami, drawing comparisons to other driver-engineer relationships.
“Go and listen to the radio calls with others and their engineers – far worse,” he remarked. “The conversations Max has had with his engineer over the years—the abuse that poor guy’s taken—you never write about it. But you wrote about the smallest discussion I had with mine.”
He clarified that their exchanges were simply part of the adjustment process.
“We’re just getting to know each other. Afterwards, I told him, ‘Hey bro, I don’t need that bit of information, but if you want to give me this, this is the place I’d like to hear it.’ There are no issues—it’s done with a smile, and we move forward.”
A Big Moment for Mercedes
Hamilton’s pole position marks a significant milestone for Mercedes as they continue to push for competitiveness against Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari. With the sprint race ahead, the Brit will aim to convert his strong qualifying into valuable points and momentum for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
As the F1 season progresses, all eyes will be on Hamilton and Adami’s developing partnership—one that could play a crucial role in Mercedes’ resurgence.
