After a week that was dominated by talk surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s conversations with his race engineer Bryan Bozzi, the Brit’s behind-the-wheel discussions are once again under the microscope. Hamilton had finished sixth in the Chinese Grand Prix, but, alongside team-mate Charles Leclerc, was disqualified following the chequered flag.

It looked like a stellar weekend’s work for Hamilton, who took the sprint race in stylish fashion on Saturday morning. Fifth place on the grid was certainly further back than he’d have hoped for, but there was optimism he could carve out an impressive run around the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday.

Instead, Hamilton ended up dropping one place back in the final standings (prior to being handed a DNF), with Leclerc moving up a spot to fifth. It was part of a strategic move by Ferrari, but it head left fans and pundits alike raising their eyebrows.

However, onboard conversations between Hamilton and Bozzi appear to have shed more light on the incident. Hamilton said to the paddock: “I think I’m gonna let Charles go because I’m struggling.”

That remark hadn’t been aired on the live broadcast, meaning heads were being scratched as to why he was opting to give up his fifth spot on the track to his team-mate. The change eventually took place, but much later than the Ferrari bigwig would’ve liked, with Bozzi saying: “We want to swap this lap. Swap now.”

Hamilton hit back with: “I’ll tell you when we can swap.” It wasn’t until two corners later that the seven-time world champion allowed Leclerc ahead of him.

The race might not have ended how Hamilton would’ve hoped for, given he was stripped of a points finish in the main race. But, the ex-Mercedes ace made his opinion clear on external criticisms ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix last week.

Bemoaning the criticisms he’s faced, Hamilton stated: “I really do feel a lot of people underestimated how steep the climb is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised, to understand communication, and all sorts of things.

“The amount of critics and people I’ve heard yapping along the way, just clearly not understanding… maybe because they’ve not had the experience or are just unaware.”

Hamilton and Ferrari will now have a week away from the limelight to figure things out before racing resumes for week three from Japan in early April.