Lewis Hamilton believes that the seconds lost behind Charles Leclerc played a decisive role in his failure to secure a podium in the Netherlands.
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Lewis Hamilton did not hide his frustration after his fourth place at the Dutch Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver believes that a strategic decision by his team probably cost him the opportunity to get on the podium at Zandvoort.
The seven-time world champion had adopted an alternate strategy by extending his stints to benefit from fresher tires than his rivals. This approach allowed him to gradually climb up the order and notably overtake Oscar Piastri’s McLaren at mid-race.
Hamilton then found himself behind his teammate Charles Leclerc, whose tires were more worn. The Briton wanted to quickly have a clear track to continue his charge, but he stayed two laps behind the second Ferrari before the Monegasque finally returned to the pits.
Hamilton believes he lost precious seconds
On the radio, Hamilton immediately expressed his dissatisfaction with this situation. The frustration was all the greater as, at the end of the race, the Briton closed in on George Russell to fight for third place.
A final virtual safety car, triggered on lap 70 of 72 by debris following a collision between Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, ultimately interrupted his attack. Hamilton had to settle for fourth place, just behind the Mercedes.
After the finish, the Ferrari driver was convinced that the seconds lost behind Leclerc weighed heavily on the outcome of his race.
“I don’t know if we would have managed to overtake him because the Mercedes is so fast on the straight that it was a challenge, but I think time was lost when I was behind Charles.”
“I think that’s ultimately what made the gap bigger to try to catch George.”
Hamilton compares Ferrari to Mercedes
Hamilton especially regretted how Ferrari managed the situation between its two drivers. In his eyes, Mercedes demonstrated greater speed of execution in the same Grand Prix when it decided to swap the positions of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
The championship leader had fallen behind his teammate after his stop under the virtual safety car. Mercedes quickly asked Russell to give back second place, considering that Antonelli held that position before his pit stop and had fresher tires.
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An efficiency that Hamilton would clearly like to see at Ferrari.
“What is clear is that I look ahead and see Mercedes. They execute things like a team with a car fighting for the championship lead, and they did it immediately. Meanwhile, I am behind and losing seconds. That’s something we need to discuss internally.”
Leclerc says he did not receive any instruction
For his part, Charles Leclerc provided an important clarification on this episode. The Monegasque assures that he never received the order to let Hamilton pass. Ferrari even asked him to stay out on track when his teammate was rapidly closing in on him.
Leclerc wanted to extend his stint to create a bigger tire gap with Russell. After initially being told to pit, he was then asked to stay out before finally stopping on the next lap.
This sequence thus puts Hamilton’s frustration into context: the Briton does not directly blame Leclerc for refusing to move aside, but rather questions Ferrari’s strategic management.
The two men ultimately finished fourth and fifth, with Hamilton falling just short of the podium.
Important points lost in the championship
This fourth place also has consequences in the championship. Hamilton leaves Zandvoort with 12 additional points, but Kimi Antonelli, second, has further increased his lead.
Hamilton and Russell now each have 183 points, but the Mercedes driver occupies second place thanks to his two wins compared to one for the Ferrari driver. Both men are 59 points behind Antonelli.
In this context, Hamilton believes Ferrari cannot afford to let any opportunity slip if it truly wants to fight for the titles.
“I am here to win and I really believe this team can win. To win championships, you have to take every point. The last races have been tough with penalties, and I lost several seconds behind Charles, which I think ultimately made the difference.”
“My goal is to try to lead this team to the championship, and we still have work to do.”
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