Hamilton’s New Partnership: A Rollercoaster Opener with Pit Lane Drama

The highly anticipated debut of Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix was a race of contrasting emotions, marked by a display of exceptional raw pace alongside significant strategic frustrations. While his teammate Charles Leclerc maintained a more diplomatic stance regarding Ferrari’s conservative pit stop strategy under Virtual Safety Car (VSC) conditions, Hamilton was notably less accepting of the decisions made by the Scuderia.

Following the chequered flag, Hamilton’s new race engineer, Carlos Santi, candidly admitted that the team’s choices not to pit during the crucial VSC periods cost them a substantial amount of time to eventual race-winner George Russell. Despite this strategic setback, Hamilton found numerous positives to take away from his maiden competitive outing in Ferrari’s latest challenger, particularly his formidable pace during the latter stages of the race. His radio exchanges throughout the Grand Prix offer a fascinating insight into the challenges, frustrations, and ultimately, the promising potential of this new partnership.

Lewis Hamilton’s 2026 Australian Grand Prix Radio Transcript: A Strategic Rollercoaster

This article delves into the key radio communications between Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Santi during the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, analyzing the strategic implications and Hamilton’s reactions throughout a dramatic race.

“No deployment”

The race began with immediate challenges for Lewis Hamilton. Like many other drivers on the grid, he reported issues with battery power management, which he termed ‘deployment’. This early struggle was compounded by a suspected contact during the opening lap. Hamilton initially believed he had been hit by Liam Lawson, mistaking the Racing Bulls driver for Arvid Lindblad. The initial laps were therefore a mix of assessing car damage, managing power output, and trying to find a rhythm.

His new engineer, Carlos Santi, quickly worked to reassure Hamilton, confirming initial checks on tyre pressure were fine and addressing concerns about the deployment issue. Hamilton’s feedback highlighted a lack of power compared to rivals, leading to them pulling away easily. Santi’s instructions focused on tyre management and specific cornering techniques, attempting to compensate for the perceived power deficit. This early dialogue set a tone of technical troubleshooting and a driver pushing for every tenth despite initial setbacks.

Lap: 1/58 HAM: 1’35.261
Hamilton	I got hit, I don’t know which car it was. Lawson hit my left front.
Santi	Looking into it
Lap: 2/58 HAM: 1’24.874
Santi	Tyre pressure is fine, so far so good.
Lap: 3/58 HAM: 1’25.066
Hamilton	I feel good, it’s just go [cuts out]
Santi	Coming back to you. No action on [unclear].
Lap: 4/58 HAM: 1’24.502
Hamilton	Deployment’s quite [unclear].
Santi	We are looking into it
Hamilton	They’re pulling away, just on power.
Lap: 5/58 HAM: 1’24.703
Hamilton	Yeah, no deployment.
Hamilton	I’m using lower gears, so…
Santi	So deployment is on target, work on tyre management, particularly [turn] 12.
Lap: 6/58 HAM: 1’24.365
Hamilton	I think I can take turn five flat.
Santi	Five flat is good for us.
Hamilton	Okay.
Lap: 7/58 HAM: 1’24.365
Hamilton	Fuel says… do I ignore fuel or not?
Santi	It’s fine for us like this
Hamilton	Okay. How far off pace-wise, am I down?
Santi	So pace is a match. Antonelli behind four seconds.
Santi	And focus, exit turn two, one tenth. Antonelli faster behind, three tenths faster.
Lap: 10/58 HAM: 1’24.255
Hamilton	Let me know which corners I’m losing in mate.
Santi	So exit of two, you’re losing, and entry 13, too aggressive. Entry 13, take it easy.
Santi	Mid five and exit turn two, earlier on throttle, earlier on the throttle exit turn two.
Lap: 11/58 HAM: 1’24.073
Santi	And tyre phase update when you can.

“At least one of us should have come in”

A pivotal moment in the race arrived with the deployment of the first Virtual Safety Car. At this stage, Charles Leclerc was leading George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes, known for their sharp strategic calls, immediately seized the opportunity to pit both their drivers, executing a textbook double stack. Ferrari, however, opted for a more conservative approach, keeping both their cars out on track. This decision immediately drew Hamilton’s disagreement, a clear indication of his proactive and aggressive strategic thinking.

Hamilton’s frustration was palpable. He recognized the strategic advantage Mercedes had gained and voiced his concern that at least one Ferrari should have pitted. The VSC period offers a ‘free’ pit stop, minimizing time loss compared to a regular green flag stop. By staying out, Ferrari sacrificed track position relative to those who pitted and effectively handed an advantage to competitors like Russell. This early strategic divergence between Hamilton’s instincts and the team’s decision would foreshadow further tension later in the race.

Lap: 12/58 HAM: 1’54.958
Santi	Entry speed nine, entry speed nine… Virtual Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car deployed, stay positive. And mode Safety Car please.
Hamilton	Balance is okay. Feel like I’m locking rears quite often turn three.
Santi	Understood
Santi	Switch position yellow, switch position yellow. And please maximise the cooling. And a right toggle suggestion for turn three locking. Double yellow, double yellow.
Hamilton	Approaching turn 13 and pit lane entrance Do you know what the plan is?
Santi	We stay out. We stay out.
Hamilton	At least one of us should have come in. Mercedes are in. What lap are we on?
Lap: 13/58 HAM: 1’56.315
Santi	We are currently in lap 12, lap 12 completed, we are into lap 13.
Hamilton	Fronts are getting cold.
Santi	We think temperature is alright, keep it like that.
Santi	Approaching turn 13 again And we stay out.
Lap: 14/58 HAM: 1’28.327
Santi	Virtual Safety Car ending, mode race and boost available. Green, green, green.
Santi	And Russell 10 seconds behind
Lap: 15/58 HAM: 1’23.703
Hamilton	How are they only 10 seconds?
Santi	So far we are on plan, we are focusing on plan A, plan A.
Lap: 16/58 HAM: 1’23.412
Santi	Turn two was good, keep it like this. And tyre phase update when you can.
Lap: 17/58 HAM: 1’24.045
Hamilton	Tyres are okay, small graining, abrasion left front.

“How did you not call the pit, man?”

The second VSC period proved even more disastrous for Ferrari’s strategic aspirations and ignited further frustration from Hamilton. The timing of the VSC deployment was particularly unfortunate for the team. Hamilton was informed of the VSC as he was passing the pit lane entrance, making an immediate pit stop impossible. By the time his car completed the lap and approached the pit entry again, the pit lane had been officially closed, sealing Ferrari’s fate of missing out on another ‘free’ stop.

Hamilton’s exasperated outburst, “How did you not call the pit, man?” perfectly captured the missed opportunity. While the pit lane closure was an external factor, there was an argument to be made for anticipating the VSC. Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac had stopped perilously close to the pit lane entrance, suggesting a high probability of some intervention. Teams with agile strategists, like Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, were able to react quicker, pitting in the narrow window between the VSC deployment and the pit lane closure, gaining a significant advantage. This moment highlighted a strategic rigidity or a lack of forward-thinking from Ferrari that would prove costly in the final standings. The consequence was lost time and positions, which Hamilton was acutely aware of.

Lap: 18/58 HAM: 1’31.597
Santi	And don’t trail the brakes into 13, suggestion.
Santi	Yellow turn 14, yellow turn 14.
Santi	Turn 14 Virtual Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car.
Hamilton	Ah, man, how did you not call the pit, man?
Lap: 19/58 HAM: 1’53.100
Santi	Switch position red, switch position red. And mode Safety Car.
Hamilton	How much have we lost? I think we’ll pit now. Balance has been good. I would put…
Santi	Copy.
Hamilton	…one or two clicks more in
Santi	And pit lane is closed, we stay out. And we need mode formation to manage temperatures.
Hamilton	[Unclear]
Santi	Can you repeat please?
Hamilton	What is the gap behind?
Lap: 20/58 HAM: 1’31.637
Santi	Gap behind is eight seconds
Hamilton	One of us is going to get screwed here if we’re double-stacking.
Santi	Coming back to you. And Virtual Safety Car ending, mode race and boost available, boost button available.
Santi	Green, green, green. Stroll ahead, solid blue.
Hamilton	My tyres are still okay, do not box me at the same time.
Lap: 21/58 HAM: 1’23.617
Hamilton	Front-left graining.
Santi	Understood.
Lap: 22/58 HAM: 1’23.509
Santi	One-tenth entry speed turn nine, entry speed turn nine.
Santi	And keep an eye on locking entry turn 13. Locking entry turn 13.
Lap: 23/58 HAM: 1’23.382
Santi	Perez, solid blue. Solid blue for Perez.
Lap: 24/58 HAM: 1’24.329
Santi	Turn 13 better now, turn 13 better

“I’m not pitting this lap”

With the VSC opportunities gone, the race settled into a green flag period where Ferrari finally needed to make their scheduled pit stops. Charles Leclerc pitted first. Hamilton, however, tried to assert his influence over the strategy, attempting to delay his own pit stop for as long as possible. His rationale was likely twofold: either to wait for a miraculous third VSC period that might grant another ‘free’ stop, or, more realistically, to create a significant tyre life offset to use as an advantage later in the race.

His declaration, “I’m not pitting this lap,” underscored a moment of defiance and his strong belief in a different strategic path. The internal debate was evident as Santi urged him to push and manage his tyres, while Hamilton clearly sought to maximize his current stint. The team eventually brought him in three laps after Leclerc, a compromise that still provided some degree of tyre offset. However, the decision was somewhat forced by George Russell’s clean overtake into turn nine, highlighting the pace advantage gained by those who had pitted earlier. This sequence demonstrated Hamilton’s aggressive strategic mindset, willing to push the boundaries of team instructions to seek an advantage.

Lap: 25/58 HAM: 1’23.660
Santi	And balance update please
Hamilton	Front left’s pretty badly grained, bit of understeer.
Santi	Use your tyres.
Lap: 26/58 HAM: 1’24.085
Hamilton	Create an offset, do not [unclear].
Santi	Let’s push, let’s push
Santi	Use your tyres, use your tyres.
Hamilton	I’m not pitting this lap.
Santi	No.
Lap: 27/58 HAM: 1’23.760
Santi	Max pace, max pace. Don’t lose time with Russell but…
Hamilton	I’m trying to.
Santi	Yeah. Don’t lose time with Russell.
Lap: 28/58 HAM: 1’39.578
Santi	You are doing a good job, keep it like this, as long as you can. Russell passes him on the inside into turn nine
Santi	Box, box, box.
Hamilton	I can keep going
Santi	Box Lewis, box. Hamilton pits
Lap: 29/58 HAM: 1’29.135
Santi	Mode K2 and first gear. Mode K2 and first gear.
Santi	Watch the white line and normal out-lap, normal out-lap. Target lap time, 23.0, 23.0.
Hamilton	How many laps offset am I?
Santi	Three laps.

“Have I lost positions to people?”

The race entered its second half with Hamilton now on fresher tyres and in a recovery drive. After yet another, albeit very brief, VSC period due to debris, Hamilton began to rapidly gain on the cars ahead. His question, “Have I lost positions to people?” indicated a keen awareness of his standing and a desire to understand the impact of the earlier strategic calls. Santi confirmed he hadn’t lost positions directly during that specific VSC but was behind Charles Leclerc, with Antonelli in P2.

Hamilton’s focus quickly shifted to optimizing his pace. He consistently probed his engineer for information on where he could improve and the lap times of rivals. This phase of the race showcased his relentless pursuit of performance, even when strategic disadvantages had been incurred. Despite reporting that his new set of tyres felt “pretty poor” and experiencing “small graining,” Hamilton maintained a strong pace, consistently matching and even beating his teammate’s lap times, demonstrating his ability to extract performance from the car under challenging conditions.

Lap: 30/58 HAM: 1’23.474
Santi	And we need bigger lift in [turn] five.
Santi	And focus entry speed turn nine, entry speed turn nine.
Lap: 31/58 HAM: 1’23.129
Santi	Lift in five is…
Hamilton	Where can I improve?
Santi	…good. Lift in five is good. Entry turn nine.
Lap: 32/58 HAM: 1’23.185
Santi	And pace update, we need 22.8, 22.8.
Lap: 33/58 HAM: 1’23.775
Hamilton	Where am I losing all the time? [Unclear]
Santi	Turn five if you can afford a flat, is better.
Hamilton	There was a yellow flag, mid-part of turn eight.
Santi	That was track slippery flag.
Lap: 34/58 HAM: 1’38.315
Santi	Virtual Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car.
Hamilton	This tyre feels pretty poor.
Santi	Mode formation, understood.
Santi	Double yellow in front of you until corner nine.
Hamilton	What is it?
Santi	It’s debris, debris, We reckon Virtual Safety Car will be short. Track is now clear, Virtual Safety Car ending, mode race, mode race. Exit of two to focus, exit two. Green, green, green.
Lap: 35/58 HAM: 1’23.317
Hamilton	What position am I? Have I lost positions to people?
Santi	Negative, negative. Charles P3, seven seconds ahead.
Santi	Solid blues.
Lap: 36/58 HAM: 1’23.338
Hamilton	What [unclear] cars ahead doing?
Santi	You have all lapped cars in front of you, you are P…
Hamilton	No, [unclear]. Give me their lap times.
Santi	So Charles in front of you, lap time is same at the minute, same pace as Charles. Antonelli is in P2 and is lapping 23.0.
Lap: 37/58 HAM: 1’23.086
Santi	Charles six, you gained one second.
Lap: 38/58 HAM: 1’22.688
Santi	Good lap.
Santi	And focus entry nine. This was a good lap.
Lap: 39/58 HAM: 1’22.536
Hamilton	Don’t talk to me into the corners mate, please.
Santi	Same pace as Charles, and tenths faster than Mercedes.

“You are again the fastest car on track”

The final phase of Lewis Hamilton’s Australian Grand Prix was nothing short of exceptional. With slightly fresher tyres than Charles Leclerc, Hamilton unleashed a blistering pace that saw him rapidly close the gap to his teammate. Santi’s frequent updates confirming, “You are the fastest car on track,” underscored Hamilton’s dominant performance in this stint. He was consistently three to four tenths faster than anyone else on the circuit, including the race leader George Russell, who was likely managing his pace and tyres at the front.

This period of the race was a powerful demonstration of Hamilton’s innate speed and his rapid adaptation to the Ferrari SF-26. Despite the earlier strategic missteps, he pushed relentlessly, maximizing the car’s potential. His request, “Don’t talk to me into the corners mate, please,” revealed a driver in the zone, fully immersed in extracting every last bit of performance, minimizing distractions during critical sections of the track. This strong finish offered a tantalizing glimpse of what Hamilton and Ferrari are capable of once their strategic alignment and operational execution are perfected.

Lap: 40/58 HAM: 1’22.550
Santi	You are the fastest car on track, good job out of [turn] two.
Santi	Think about diff entry six, diff entry six.
Lap: 41/58 HAM: 1’22.648
Santi	And you are again the fastest car on track by three tenths.
Lap: 42/58 HAM: 1’22.636
Santi	Charles is 5.5 ahead of you.
Santi	And you are four tenths faster than anyone else, improve exit turn two.
Santi	S1 suggestion for entry [turn] three for stability. S1.
Lap: 43/58 HAM: 1’22.559
Santi	Turn two was good, you are fastest car on track by two tenths.
Santi	Lap time target 22.5. 22.5.
Lap: 44/58 HAM: 1’22.837
Santi	Entry was good. Entry was good.
Santi	Entry turn nine, one tenth.
Lap: 45/58 HAM: 1’22.529
Hamilton	How many laps left?
Santi	14 laps to go, fastest car on track, you are doing a good job, keep it like this
Lap: 46/58 HAM: 1’22.945
Hamilton	Left-front’s starting to open up a bit.
Santi	Understood.
Santi	Russell had front graining as well, but then it cleared.
Lap: 48/58 HAM: 1’22.764
Santi	Was a good lap.
Lap: 49/58 HAM: 1’22.835
Hamilton	Are other people having graining?
Santi	At the moment you are the fastest car on track, by two tenths.
Lap: 50/58 HAM: 1’23.310
Hamilton	Got understeer.
Santi	Understood. Good job in three-four, good job in three-four.
Santi	And entry speed nine, one tenth, entry speed nine. Keep pushing, you never know.

“Leave me to it mate”

In the final laps of the Australian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton’s relentless charge saw him come agonizingly close to catching Charles Leclerc. He crossed the finish line less than a second behind his teammate, a testament to his incredible pace and determination. This final push, almost securing a podium on debut despite the strategic hurdles, underscored the raw potential of the Hamilton-Ferrari partnership. His concise instruction to Santi, “Yeah, leave me to it mate, thanks,” reflected a driver completely dialed into the rhythm of the race, requiring minimal intervention as he pushed to the absolute limit. This segment encapsulated the sheer will of a champion striving for every possible gain.

Lap: 51/58 HAM: 1’22.683
Hamilton	Pace of car ahead?
Santi	Charles, 23.3. And Merc 23.
Santi	Seven laps to go, keep pushing, doing well.
Lap: 52/58 HAM: 1’23.008
Hamilton	Yeah, leave me to it mate, thanks.
Santi	Entry nine, one tenth.
Lap: 53/58 HAM: 1’23.165
Hamilton	[Unclear]
Santi	Copy.
Lap: 54/58 HAM: 1’22.554
Hamilton	How many laps?
Santi	Four to go. Four laps to go. Keep pushing, keep pushing.
Lap: 56/58 HAM: 1’22.500
Santi	You are four tenths faster than anyone else, keep pushing.
Lap: 57/58 HAM: 1’22.716
Santi	Half a second faster than Charles in front of you, half a second.

“Basically, it’s the pit stop”

Despite narrowly missing out on his first podium finish for Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton’s post-race comments revealed a complex mix of satisfaction with his personal performance and clear frustration with the strategic decisions. His gratitude to the team for their effort was evident, highlighting a positive initial rapport with his new Scuderia colleagues. However, the candid exchange with Carlos Santi immediately after the race pinpointed the core issue: the pit stop strategy.

Santi’s blunt admission, “Basically, it’s the pit stop,” perfectly summarized the collective understanding that the strategic choices, particularly under the VSC, were responsible for most of Hamilton’s deficit to race winner George Russell. Hamilton’s response, “Yeah. Need to pick up on that mate. [Unclear] we doing that again,” was a clear message to the team: such strategic errors cannot be repeated. The analysis confirmed that Hamilton’s second stint was “by far the fastest,” showcasing the true potential that was masked by the earlier strategic setbacks. This debut race, therefore, served as both a promising indicator of Hamilton’s formidable speed in red and a critical learning experience for Ferrari’s strategy department, underlining the essential need for seamless execution to capitalize on championship opportunities in the future.

Chequered flag
Santi	Mode slow and cool the car. Mega race, very solid, second stint was super-fast. Russell P1, Antonelli P2, Charles P3 and we are P4.
Hamilton	Great effort guys, really great job, really proud of all the work. Gracias everyone back at the factory. Solid result, solid points, team. Let’s keep pushing.
Santi	Thank you, Lewis.
Hamilton	P4 to P7 is pretty good. Other way around: P7 to P4. How far ahead were they?
Santi	15 seconds. Basically, it’s the pit stop.
Hamilton	Yeah. Need to pick up on that mate. [Unclear] we doing that again.
Santi	The last stint you were by far the fastest. And the first you were stuck behind Charles.
Santi	And we’ll go through the pit lane. P zero, please, P zero.