Lewis Hamilton admitted that his disappointment with Ferrari’s in‑race decisions at the Dutch Grand Prix would be discussed "offline" later, drawing a direct comparison to the way his former team, Mercedes, handles driver swaps when strategies diverge. The seven‑time world champion described his Sunday at Zandvoort as "definitely frustrating for me" after he was unable to overtake his teammate George Russell for third place in the final laps of the race. The irritation reached a peak when Hamilton’s team radio crackled with his comments after he caught up to Charles Leclerc, his fellow Ferrari driver. Having pitted later than Leclerc, Hamilton found himself on fresher rubber and initially told the pit wall, "I’m quicker than Charles.
These tyres are better." Ferrari, however, chose not to reverse the order of the two cars, prompting Hamilton to bark, "We are just losing time!" When Leclerc eventually made his own pit stop, Hamilton returned to the radio with a sarcastic tone, saying, "A great way of wasting time, guys, good job." In the closing stages, Russell was instructed by Mercedes to allow his younger teammate Kimi Antonelli to pass, a move that highlighted the decisive team tactics that Hamilton feels are missing at Ferrari. After the race, Hamilton was asked about his blunt radio messages. He replied, "I want to win. I want to win.
I’m here to win." He went on to explain the contrast he sees between the two teams: "It’s difficult when you look ahead and you see the two Mercedes drivers get the call and it’s done, and they execute straight away. They let Kimi by and let him get on with the race. I was on a different strategy and it’s not the same here. That’s a little bit difficult but we’ll take it offline and when I go back now, I’ll speak to them about it." Ferrari were out‑qualified by both McLaren and Mercedes in the sprint and the main Grand Prix, yet their longer‑run pace remained impressive, keeping them in contention for a podium finish.
Hamilton, who started the race from fifth on the grid, praised the latest upgrades to the SF‑26, the first set of changes introduced after the summer break. He expressed regret that the car’s potential was not fully realised on Sunday.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton said, "Firstly, the guys in the garage did a fantastic job. Pit stops, strategy was generally very, very good. The car felt awesome and they have continued to work so hard. We brought a bit of an upgrade here.
We are just chipping away at it all the time. This first half of the season we have been losing three to five tenths on the straight depending on which track we go to and that’s a hard deficit to overcome just through the corners. But we are close." He added, "But today was definitely frustrating for me.
I’m here to win and I really believe that this team can win. We couldn’t win this race but to win championships you have to pick up every point and the last few races have been difficult with penalties and stuff and then, today, I lost several seconds behind Charles which I think ultimately would have made the difference at the end.
But we will take it offline. My goal is to try and lead this team to the championship and we’ve got some work to do for sure." Finishing fourth, just behind Russell, Hamilton left Zandvoort 59 points behind the Mercedes driver in the championship standings.
The next round sees Formula 1 head to Monza for Ferrari’s home Grand Prix on September 4‑6, where the Italian team will look to convert their strong race‑pace into a podium finish and perhaps a win on home soil. Hamilton’s comments underline a growing frustration with Ferrari’s strategic rigidity, especially when contrasted with the flexibility shown by Mercedes in similar situations. As the season progresses, the ability of Ferrari to adapt its tactics could prove pivotal in the battle for both race victories and the overall title.