Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc addressed the back and forth with his teammate Lewis Hamilton during the Miami Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion, who had pit for fresh medium tires, urged the Maranello outfit to swap positions. He argued that he was wasting his tires while stuck behind Leclerc.
It took some back and forth before the team confirmed the instructions to swap positions. However, this decision was reversed later on in the race when Charles made the same arguments.
While speaking to the media after the race, the Monegasque driver addressed the situation, stating:
“Most of the time I say something. Today, I don’t think I’ll say anything. I think the story is going to be big enough already and, yeah, we need to do better, that’s for sure. Today was not ideal and was far from maximizing our potential, but we’ve got to regroup as a team and be better.”
When asked if he was frustrated when he had to let Hamilton go by, Leclerc responded:
“No, I just think we maybe should have discussed a little bit more before doing the swap because obviously you are trying to go to the end with those tires, so I’m trying to do a good job with my tires. Everything is tricky. Then I did not expect Carlos to be so close.
Hector Vivas/Getty Images
“So, all of this made the situation a little bit trickier, but again I think there’s plenty for us to look at, and as I said, we need to be robust enough that whenever we find ourselves in those situations, we do better.”
He added:
“Of course, I mean, yes, there is the frustration already that I was fighting for P8 at the time and I was not making any gains. I was really struggling with the car, so there’s a frustration of that. And then all the rest, and it all adds up. The radio is not always the real picture.”
Leclerc confirmed that he didn’t consider swapping positions with Hamilton before he was instructed to.
“Not really because I knew Lewis was on a medium [tire], so if anything he wants to struggle a bit more to go to the end. So we had to take care of tires, but I understand as well that he wanted to try and do something different, so I appreciate that.
“I mean, I would have done the same thing if I was him and trying to be a bit more aggressive with the medium tires. There’s no bad feelings with Lewis, not at all. I understand that he wants to try and optimize as much as I want to try and optimize the car potential.”
2025 Miami Grand Prix results
1. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2. Lando Norris, McLaren
3. George Russell, Mercedes
4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5. Alex Albon, Williams
6. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
7. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
8. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
9. Carlos Sainz, Williams
10. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
11. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
12. Esteban Ocon, Haas
13. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
14. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
15. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
16. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
17. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls – DNF
18. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber – DNF
19. Oliver Bearman, Haas – DNF
20. Jack Doohan, Alpine – DNF