Lewis Hamilton finished the Dutch Grand Prix in fourth place, but had moments of irritation over the radio during the race. The Ferrari driver repeatedly questioned the team’s strategic decisions in Zandvoort.
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The main complaint happened when Hamilton, with tires four laps newer than Charles Leclerc’s, started recording faster laps and asked to overtake his teammate, who was in second position at that moment. While Leclerc had his stop delayed by one lap, Hamilton reacted over the radio: “Great way to lose time, guys, good job.”
Later, Hamilton took the lead and stayed on track while Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli approached with newer tires. Not knowing how much longer he would stay without changing tires, the Briton questioned Ferrari: “Are you using me as a guinea pig or what? What is going on? How long are you going to keep me on track?”
Fred Vasseur, Ferrari’s team principal, stated that the team chose not to immediately reveal the full plan to prevent rivals from accessing the strategy. According to him, the intention was to keep Hamilton on track until the end, as the driver was able to keep Antonelli behind.
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Regarding the episode involving Leclerc, Vasseur downplayed the confusion and said that the Monegasque should have stopped earlier: “Charles should have stopped, we extended one lap and it was a kind of confusion, but I’m not worried about that,” he said. The Frenchman also highlighted that Ferrari was not the only team facing difficulties in deciding the best tire choice.
“The difference between the three compounds was very small today and it was difficult to have a clear view of the strategy,” Vasseur assessed. For him, the need to adapt plans according to rivals’ information contributed to the drivers’ frustration during the race.
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