Lewis Hamilton’s frustration with Ferrari spilled onto the team radio during the Dutch Grand Prix after he told the pit wall he was quicker than Charles Leclerc and wanted the situation ahead resolved. The tension escalated over laps 43 and 44 when Charles Leclerc remained on track despite being told to pit, leaving Lewis Hamilton complaining that Ferrari was losing valuable time.
The sequence developed into one of Ferrari’s most uncomfortable moments of the race at Zandvoort. Lewis Hamilton initially informed the team that his pace and tyre condition were stronger than those of his team-mate, before growing increasingly frustrated as he remained behind the other SF-26.
Lewis Hamilton tells Ferrari he is quicker than Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton made his position clear over the radio as the two Ferraris ran together.
“I’m quicker than Charles. Tyres are better,” Lewis Hamilton told Ferrari.
The message indicated that the seven-time world champion believed he had greater pace available at that stage of the race. It did not immediately result in a change of position, however, and the situation became more tense on lap 43.
Charles Leclerc was instructed to pit but remained on track for another lap. With Lewis Hamilton still running behind him, the British driver reacted angrily to the delay.
“We are just losing time,” Lewis Hamilton shouted over the radio.
That extra lap was particularly significant from Hamilton’s perspective because he believed his tyres were in better condition and that he had the pace to run faster. The available information does not establish why Charles Leclerc remained out after the initial instruction, but the consequence was clear: Hamilton continued to run behind his team-mate until Ferrari brought the Monegasque into the pits.
Charles Leclerc finally pits but Ferrari loses more time
Charles Leclerc stopped at the end of lap 44, finally giving Lewis Hamilton clear track ahead. Ferrari’s pit stop, however, was not especially quick, with the stationary time recorded at 3.4 seconds.
Charles Leclerc returned to the circuit six seconds behind George Russell, adding another complication to his own race after the delay before the stop.
For Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, the pit stop removed the Ferrari directly ahead and allowed him to continue without being held behind his team-mate. But his irritation with the way the sequence had been handled had not disappeared.
Hamilton sends sarcastic message to Ferrari pit wall
Shortly after the Monegasque had stopped, Lewis Hamilton returned to the radio with a pointed message for Ferrari.
“Great way of wasting time guys, good job.”
The sarcastic remark underlined his frustration with the preceding laps. Lewis Hamilton had first reported that he was faster and had better tyres, then complained that the two Ferraris were losing time while Charles Leclerc remained ahead.
The episode does not by itself establish how much race time Ferrari ultimately lost or whether allowing the Briton through earlier would have changed either driver’s final result. It did, however, show a clear disagreement between the situation Lewis Hamilton believed he was facing on track and the way Ferrari managed the two cars during that phase of the Dutch Grand Prix.
For a team attempting to maximise both cars at Zandvoort, the sequence was particularly costly in perception: Charles Leclerc lost time through a 3.4-second stop and rejoined six seconds behind George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton was left openly questioning Ferrari’s handling of the situation over the radio.
Leave a Reply