Lewis Hamilton slams Ferrari's strategy over team radio at Australian Grand Prix as he loses patience with race engineer

A frustrated Lewis Hamilton questioned Ferrari's strategy at the Australian Grand Prix during a series of no-nonsense radio messages to race engineer Riccardo Adami and the wider team.

The seven-time Formula One champion made his much-anticipated debut for the Scuderia at Albert Park, which has returned to its previously traditional spot as the host of the season-opening race.

Coming into the race, there was a huge amount of expectation on the shoulders of Hamilton and fellow Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

But it was an afternoon to forget for the pair as McLaren's Lando Norris secured a memorable win over second-place Max Verstappen in what was a dramatic, incident-filled race in Melbourne.

One of the big talking points has been Lewis Hamilton and his, at times, frosty radio conversations with Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami.

Hamilton swore over the team radio when he was told of his new position, which was ninth, and the overall tone of the conversations spoke volumes on a frustrating afternoon for Ferrari.

Here's a snippet of the conversation between Hamilton and Anami.

Hamilton: “Let me know where I am slow. Struggling with drive-ability. The car is snappy.”

Amami: “Turns 11 and 12... you can use K1 when you are close.”

Hamilton: “Leave me to it, please.”

Adami: “K1 available.”

Hamilton: “Yes, I know. Leave me to it, please.”

Hamilton would later report a lost gear sync and offered Adami some more advice. “Please leave it," he said sternly. "Just leave me to it with the DRS. It’s not an issue.”

Adami: “Try to hold the K1. Just for practice. I know it’s difficult.”

Hamilton: “I’m not close enough! I’m not close enough. When I’m close, I’ll do it.”

In a telling message to the Ferrari team, Hamilton would later bring up a so-called missed opportunity. “I thought you said it wasn’t going to rain much? We just missed a big opportunity there," he said.

Adami replied: “Understood.”

Hamilton would finish in 10th place at the Australian Grand Prix, two places below fellow Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

Speaking in his post-race interview with Sky Sports, the Brit admitted his car was "really hard to drive" as things went "a lot worse" than he initially thought.

“It was very tricky,” Hamilton said. “It went a lot worse than I thought it would go, the car was really hard to drive today. I’m grateful I kept it out of the wall, that’s where it wanted to go most of the time.

“A lot to take [in], different power unit in the wet, different driving and setup on the steering wheel. And the guidance of how much more rain was coming… we missed out.

“The information I got was that it was a short shower, and real quick, and it was just the last corner. But then more came.”

Karun Chandhok, who competed in Formula One between 2010 and 2011, gave his take on the situation.

“One thing that came from the radio messages that we played was that he and Adami need more time to understand how much communication Lewis wants, and what type," he told Sky Sports.

“There were a number of times where he would say ‘tell me something’, then they would give him information, then he’d say ‘too much, leave it to me’.

“They just need to build that bond. Race drivers and their engineers will spend more time together than with their partners throughout the season. But they are still at Round 1. They need to find their feet, and understand. And maybe have a conversation before China.

“I’ll be interested to hear the radio in China to see if it’s different. Have a conversation to say ‘I need this, this and this, I don’t need you to hold my hand’.

“When the adrenaline is pumping, it’s frustrating. But keep perspective."

Chandhok added: “They are figuring out how to communicate. Adami has probably communicated that way with Carlos Sainz for three years. He’s just carrying on what he feels is natural.

“But he’s dealing with a different animal now. Lewis needs a different type of communication. I bet if we had access to the 2013 Mercedes radio, he and Bono wouldn’t have been flowing as they were years later.”