Lewis Hamilton did not help his own cause with the criticisms made to Ferrari over the radio during the Formula 1 Dutch GP, according to Guenther Steiner. The former Haas boss assessed that the British driver could have handled the situation differently.
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Hamilton pressured the team to let him pass Charles Leclerc, who was on a different strategy. When Leclerc was finally called to the pits, the Brit complained that Ferrari had lost time and then sarcastically questioned whether he was being used as a ‘guinea pig’ by staying on track with older hard tires.
For Steiner, part of the problem started even before the race, with insufficient preparation on possible situations involving team orders. Comparing Ferrari and Mercedes, he stated that the German team’s drivers received more detailed guidance before the race.
“Obviously, Ferrari was not as well organized as the Mercedes personnel. They were well organized,” Steiner said during an appearance on The Red Flags Podcast.
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Despite the assessment of Ferrari’s work, Steiner also held Hamilton responsible for the way he expressed his dissatisfaction: “I think Lewis didn’t help himself by being so critical, because when you’re sitting on the pit wall and hear that, you think: ‘This guy is trying too hard to defend himself. He’s no longer seeing the team here’,” he said.
Hamilton later acknowledged that his messages did not represent his best version: “In that heat of the moment, frustration can appear, especially when you care deeply. But that was not the best version of me. I take responsibility for that and will improve,” the driver posted on social media, adding that his attitude came from belief in Ferrari, the people in the team, and the project they are building.
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