Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari’s hesitation in moving Charles Leclerc aside at the Dutch Grand Prix cost him crucial seconds and ultimately a place on the Zandvoort podium. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion praised the work being done throughout the Maranello team, but made clear that he felt the pit wall failed to make the decision required during a decisive phase of the race.
The situation provided a striking contrast with Mercedes. While Mercedes asked George Russell to make way for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Ferrari did not intervene when Lewis Hamilton closed onto the rear of Charles Leclerc despite having significantly more pace as a consequence of the two drivers being on different strategies.
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari should have acted sooner
Ferrari’s hesitation in immediately clearing the way for Lewis Hamilton probably cost the British driver a podium, while it also denied him the chance to hold second place outright in the Drivers’ Championship. George Russell has now drawn level with Lewis Hamilton, with both drivers sitting 59 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the 2026 Formula 1 driver standings after the Dutch Grand Prix.
The strategic moment was one of the defining episodes in a race that ultimately left Lewis Hamilton fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth. A more detailed look at Ferrari’s Dutch Grand Prix performance and strategy shows how the two cars followed different tactical approaches during the Zandvoort race.
Hamilton praises Ferrari’s work but criticises the race decision
Speaking to Sky Sport F1, Lewis Hamilton did not hide his disappointment, although he was careful to recognise the efforts being made by Ferrari’s factory staff, strategists and mechanics.
“In this sport it’s impossible to be perfect. Everyone at the factory is really doing an exceptional job. They keep pushing, trying to get the most out of it, squeezing the maximum from this car, bringing every possible upgrade with a huge amount of work at the factory.”
Lewis Hamilton also praised the overall work of the race team before identifying the specific decision that he believed damaged his result.
“Today I think the guys did a great job with the strategy, and the mechanics in the pits were fantastic, but I think during the race I was on a different strategy to Charles. I had much more power and speed than he did. I lost several seconds behind him because the team didn’t execute what it needed to do or didn’t make the decision it needed to make. I think, in the end, that’s where the podium was lost.”
Ferrari strategy becomes a major Zandvoort talking point
Lewis Hamilton’s assessment puts the focus directly on the timing of Ferrari’s decision while the two SF-26s were running together. With different strategies creating a pace difference between the team-mates, Lewis Hamilton felt valuable race time disappeared before he was eventually able to continue his own race.
Fred Vasseur has offered Ferrari’s perspective on the same episode, explaining why the team did not immediately reverse the positions and why it was reluctant to discuss its full strategic plan over an open radio channel. The Ferrari team principal’s explanation of the Hamilton-Leclerc radio tension therefore provides the other side of one of the key strategic moments of the Dutch Grand Prix.
For Lewis Hamilton, however, the conclusion was straightforward: Ferrari’s wider work deserved praise, but he believes the seconds lost behind Charles Leclerc were decisive in preventing him from converting his pace into a podium finish at Zandvoort.
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