Lewis Hamilton became the center of Formula 1’s first traffic argument at Madring after several drivers complained that the Ferrari was being driven too slowly on the racing line during Friday practice.
Yuki Tsunoda responded with a conspicuous thumbs-up after encountering Hamilton, although the gesture contained rather less gratitude than its traditional meaning. Carlos Sainz said over the radio that Hamilton had made no effort to get clear, while Nico Hulkenberg described another incident as nasty.
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher also questioned Hamilton’s positioning. Speaking on Sky Deutschland, he said the Ferrari had repeatedly been in other drivers’ way and called slow driving on the racing line unsportsmanlike.
The complaints did not produce a sporting penalty on Friday, but traffic is likely to become more difficult when drivers search for space before qualifying laps on Saturday.
The field had otherwise treated the new circuit with noticeable respect. Aston Martin’s Mike Krack said teams had told their drivers to conserve their cars and complete the planned running rather than discover the walls by personal introduction.
George Russell expects the risk to increase when the pace rises. This is undoubtedly a high-risk track, he said, adding that drivers had been more cautious than usual.
Russell said Madring offers less margin than Monaco because mistakes happen at substantially higher speed. Qualifying will provide the first useful test of whether the traffic can be managed once caution and lap time begin pulling in opposite directions.