Lewis Hamilton believes he lost several seconds behind Charles Leclerc during the Dutch Grand Prix, a delay that could have cost him the podium. The Briton now intends to discuss it internally with Ferrari.
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Lewis Hamilton left Zandvoort with a fourth place and some regrets. After a difficult start to the weekend, the seven-time world champion had a much more competitive Ferrari in the race and even threatened George Russell for the last step on the podium in the final laps.
But Hamilton believes Ferrari could have better managed the battle between its two drivers. The Briton considers that he lost several seconds behind Charles Leclerc while he had fresher tires and a better pace.
A loss of time that, according to him, potentially made the difference when fighting for the podium.
Hamilton nevertheless praises Ferrari’s progress
Before mentioning his frustration, Hamilton wanted to highlight the work done by Ferrari during the weekend.
“First of all, the guys in the garage did a fantastic job. The pit stops and strategy were overall very, very good. The car was fantastic and they continue to work a lot.”
Ferrari had brought several upgrades to Zandvoort, and Hamilton believes the team is gradually closing the gap to the front-runners.
“We brought a small upgrade here. We keep gaining little by little.”
The Briton still identifies a significant weakness: the SF-26’s straight-line speed deficit.
“During this first half of the season, we have lost between three and five tenths on the straights depending on the circuits. It’s a deficit difficult to compensate only in the corners. But we are close.”
Hamilton stuck behind Leclerc
Starting fifth, Hamilton found himself sixth for much of the early race. Ferrari however chose to extend his first stint, allowing him to then benefit from a significant tire advantage.
The scenario repeated during his second stint. Hamilton then had better tires and was quickly closing in on Leclerc.
The Briton asked Ferrari to intervene so as not to lose time behind his teammate. The team finally decided to call Leclerc into the pits, but the Monegasque did not immediately respond to the instruction.
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Hamilton then let his frustration show on the radio.
“Great way to lose time, guys. Good job !” he said.
“I lost several seconds behind Charles”
After the race, Hamilton did not try to hide his frustration, although he preferred not to publicly go into the details of the disagreement.
“Today was clearly frustrating for me. I am here to win and I really believe this team can win.”
The Briton acknowledges that victory was probably not achievable against Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli. However, third place seemed within reach.
“We couldn’t win this race, but to win championships, you have to go for every point.”
It is precisely with this in mind that the episode with Leclerc bothers him.
“Today, I lost several seconds behind Charles and I think in the end, that would have made the difference.”
Hamilton prefers to settle the matter directly with Ferrari.
“But we will talk about it internally.”
Russell ultimately escapes Hamilton
A virtual safety car late in the race allowed Hamilton to make a final stop and put on soft tires. He then quickly closed in on Russell, who had much older tires.
A few laps from the finish, Hamilton attempted an inside attack at the first corner. Russell resisted and ultimately kept third position.
Given the small gap between the two men at the finish, the seconds lost behind Leclerc take on particular importance in the eyes of the Briton.
However, Hamilton does not want to reduce this episode to a simple battle between teammates. His ambition is broader.
“My goal is to try to lead this team to the championship and we still have work to do, that’s for sure.”
Ferrari thus leaves Zandvoort with fourth and fifth places, but also with a new episode to analyze in the management of its two drivers. For Hamilton, every point now counts if he wants to maintain his championship ambitions.
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