Hamilton eventually finished fourth at Zandvoort, but voiced displeasure over team decisions that Hamilton felt cost valuable time during the race.
The seven-time world champion closed rapidly on Leclerc around lap 43 and believed Hamilton had the pace to move ahead. However, Leclerc remained in front and did not immediately pit, forcing Hamilton to sit behind the sister Ferrari.
When Leclerc finally entered the pits a lap later, Hamilton made his feelings clear over team radio. “Great waste of time there, guys,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton’s frustration resurfaced later when a Virtual Safety Car period prompted questions over Ferrari’s strategy. “Are you using me as a guinea pig?” Hamilton asked over the radio before eventually making a pit stop.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton said the reactions reflected a determination to fight for victories rather than settle for strong points finishes. “Yeah, I want to win. I’m here to win,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton compared Ferrari’s approach to that of Mercedes, which allowed Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to swap positions when required. “When you’re looking ahead, and you see the two Mercedes drivers, they get the call, and it’s done, and they execute straight away,” Hamilton said.
“They let Kimi by and let him get on with the race, and I was on a different strategy, and it was not the same here.”
Hamilton said the matter would be discussed internally with Ferrari. “That’s a little difficult, but we’ll take it offline, and when I go back now I’ll speak to them about it,” Hamilton said.
Despite the disappointment, Hamilton praised Ferrari’s overall performance and said the Italian team has made progress in closing the gap to its rivals. “I gave it absolutely everything,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton believes Ferrari’s main weakness remains straight-line speed, suggesting Mercedes currently enjoys a significant advantage in that area. “Mercedes are gaining like four tenths of a second just on the straight, so that’s really hard to capture everywhere else,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said the performance nevertheless underlined the potential of Ferrari’s package. “It just shows we’ve got a really good car,” Hamilton said.
“If we can somehow improve our power unit and get a bit closer to them, which I trust in the team that they’re working as hard as they can to do so, hopefully we can be even closer and even more in the mix.”
Hamilton spent the closing stages chasing Russell for the final podium position but was unable to find a way past, crossing the line fourth after an intense battle at the front of the field.
–F1/ChannelAfrica–
