Lewis Hamilton gained a valuable strategic opportunity when a Virtual Safety Car allowed Ferrari to pit him from third place at a reduced time cost on lap 56 of the Dutch Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc also stopped during the same neutralised period, leaving the two Ferraris fourth and fifth with both drivers switching to Soft tyres for the closing 16 laps at Zandvoort.
The VSC was triggered on lap 55 after Esteban Ocon’s Haas stopped at the side of the circuit. With the field required to run at reduced speed, Ferrari immediately had the chance to complete a pit stop at a significantly lower relative cost than would have been possible under normal racing conditions.
Lewis Hamilton gains cheaper VSC pit stop from third place
Lewis Hamilton was running third when the Virtual Safety Car appeared, making the timing particularly important for Ferrari. Rather than having to surrender the full amount of track time associated with a green-flag stop, the British driver was able to enter the pits while the rest of the field circulated at controlled speed.
Ferrari brought Lewis Hamilton in on lap 56 and fitted a set of Soft tyres. He returned to the circuit in fourth place, giving up only one position despite making the stop.
The timing worked strongly in his favour after the frustration he had expressed earlier in the race while running behind Charles Leclerc. Whatever had happened during the previous phase, the VSC created a fresh opportunity for Ferrari to reset Lewis Hamilton’s race with a softer compound and limited loss of track position.
Ferrari also pits Charles Leclerc onto Soft tyres
Ferrari did not restrict the VSC opportunity to Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc was also called into the pits during the same period and emerged in fifth place, directly behind his team-mate.
The decision meant both SF-26 cars were now equipped with Soft tyres for the final 16 laps. That created a clearly different closing phase for Ferrari compared with simply leaving both drivers out on their previous sets.
Oscar Piastri followed the same route for McLaren, pitting under the VSC and rejoining sixth. He was also fitted with Soft tyres, leaving Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri running fourth, fifth and sixth respectively on the same compound once the sequence had played out.
Hamilton, Leclerc and Piastri set for Soft-tyre fight to the finish
The immediate consequence of the pit-stop cycle was a tightly grouped battle behind the leading three. Lewis Hamilton held fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth and Oscar Piastri sixth, with all three now on Soft tyres and 16 laps remaining.
For Lewis Hamilton in particular, the timing was favourable. He had been running third before stopping, but the reduced-speed conditions allowed him to rejoin fourth rather than suffering the larger loss normally associated with a pit stop under green-flag racing.
Charles Leclerc’s decision to stop was less obvious from his track position alone, but Ferrari ultimately committed both cars to the same Soft-tyre approach. With Oscar Piastri making the same move behind them, the final stint was set up as a direct contest between the two Ferraris and the McLaren over the closing laps at Zandvoort.
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