Lewis Hamilton admitted that the way Ferrari handled their race strategy at the Dutch Grand Prix left him feeling irritated, and he said he would discuss the matter privately after the event. The seven‑time world champion compared the Dutch weekend to his former team, Mercedes, pointing out that the Italian outfit seemed hesitant to switch drivers between different strategies, a practice he said Mercedes executes without hesitation. Hamilton described his Sunday at Zandvoort as "definitely frustrating for me" after he was unable to overtake his team‑mate, George Russell, for third place in the final laps.
The British driver had been running in fourth for most of the race, but a late‑stage safety‑car period and a series of strategic calls left him stuck behind Russell, who was on a slightly different tyre plan. The frustration boiled over on the team radio midway through the race when Hamilton caught up to his fellow Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, after both had made pit stops. Hamilton, on a set of fresher tyres, told the engineers, "I'm quicker than Charles.
These tyres are better." Ferrari chose not to reverse the order, meaning Leclerc stayed ahead despite the slower rubber. Hamilton's tone grew sharp as he muttered, "We are just losing time!" When Leclerc eventually pitted, Hamilton returned to the radio with a sarcastic remark: "A great way of wasting time, guys, good job." Later, as the race wound down, Mercedes instructed Russell to let his younger teammate, Kimi Antonelli, past after Antonelli had caught up on significantly fresher and faster tyres. Hamilton noted that the decision was clear‑cut for the German team, saying, "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." After the checkered flag Hamilton finished fourth, trailing Russell, who had been told to hand the car back to Antonelli. When asked about his blunt radio messages, Hamilton told the official F1 website, "I want to win. I want to win. I'm here to win." He added that the disparity in how Mercedes and Ferrari manage on‑track decisions was evident, especially when the former seemed to act instantly on strategic calls while the latter appeared more cautious.
Although Ferrari qualified behind both McLaren and Mercedes for the sprint and the main Grand Prix, their long‑run pace was impressive, keeping them in the mix for a podium finish. Hamilton, who started the race from fifth on the grid, praised the latest upgrade package introduced to the SF‑26 after the summer break. He said the improvements had made the car feel "awesome" and highlighted the hard work of the garage crew, noting, "Pit stops, strategy was generally very, very good." He also acknowledged the performance gap that still exists.
"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," Hamilton explained.
The British driver emphasized that every point matters in a championship battle, especially after a season marred by penalties and other setbacks. Reflecting on the race, Hamilton said, "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." He concluded that the team would discuss the strategic missteps after the weekend, adding, "My goal is to try and lead this team to the championship and we've got some work to do for sure.
We'll take it offline and sort it out." The result left Hamilton 59 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, extending the gap for a second consecutive race. As the Formula 1 calendar moves to Monza for Ferrari's home Grand Prix on September 4‑6, the British driver will be looking to close the deficit and prove that the strategic approach adopted by Mercedes can be matched by Ferrari if the team chooses to act decisively. The upcoming Italian race promises another intense showdown, with both drivers eager to extract maximum performance from their cars and capitalize on any strategic advantage they can secure.