Lewis Hamilton has expressed his frustration towards Ferrari for the lack of efficiency in managing team orders during the recent Dutch Grand Prix.
The British driver finished the race in fourth place, after an intense battle with his teammate, Charles Leclerc, which was a key moment during the competition held in Zandvoort. Hamilton, who had just overtaken Oscar Piastri of McLaren for fifth place, expected Ferrari to order Leclerc to let him pass, which did not happen.
After reiterating his fatigue over the situation, Hamilton said: ‘Great way to lose time, good job’. Accidentally, he ended up overtaking Leclerc just when he entered the pits on lap 43, after a very prolonged process.
In contrast, his rival, Mercedes, managed their strategy efficiently, allowing George Russell to yield his position to Kimi Antonelli so that the latter could attack Lando Norris with fresher tires. Although Norris took the victory, the decision on team orders secured a podium place for Antonelli and Russell.
After the race, Hamilton shared with F1 TV: ‘I want to win. It’s hard when you see both Mercedes drivers receiving the order in time and executing it immediately’. He added that Ferrari’s strategy had not worked in the same way, which had hindered his ability to compete for the last podium spot.
Hamilton also noted that the entry of a virtual safety car on lap 70 had affected his chances of overtaking Russell. ‘I felt that was the closest opportunity I had’, he added. Through some post-race statements, Hamilton coordinated that he would speak with the team to discuss race strategy management.
With this result, Hamilton remains tied with Russell in second place in the championship, 59 points behind Antonelli. The Ferrari driver’s goal is to regain competitiveness, especially after the improvements that were brought to the race, although he has acknowledged that they need to increase the power of their engine to compete with Mercedes.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
