Lewis Hamilton finished fourth in the Dutch Grand Prix after Ferrari produced several overtakes during an eventful race at Zandvoort but ultimately failed to put either car on the podium. Looking back across the weekend, qualifying clearly compromised the race performance shown by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on a Sunday when third place appeared to be a genuine opportunity for the Scuderia.
Ferrari’s strategy for car #44 had been delivering what the team hoped for, with Lewis Hamilton closing in on George Russell during the final stages and preparing to challenge the Mercedes driver. However, a Virtual Safety Car triggered by debris from the Williams incident prevented the seven-time World Champion from launching his attack, forcing him to settle for fourth place. It was another example of how fine the margins proved to be in Ferrari’s Dutch GP strategy battle.
Lewis Hamilton praises Ferrari strategy despite Dutch GP frustration
Speaking to Sky UK after the race, Lewis Hamilton praised Ferrari’s work in the pits and the overall strategy, while also highlighting an important performance weakness that remained evident at Zandvoort.
“First of all, I think the guys in the garage did a fantastic job with the pit stops. The strategy was generally very, very good. The car behaved well. We still lose a lot on the straights, and it’s a deficit that’s difficult to make up in the corners. But we’re not far away. Overall today was frustrating, we’re here to win and to make the most of opportunities.”
Despite the disappointment of missing the podium, Lewis Hamilton’s assessment therefore contained some encouraging elements. Ferrari’s race pace allowed both cars to move forward and challenge the leading group, but the straight-line deficit remained difficult to compensate for elsewhere around the lap.
Lewis Hamilton says time lost behind Charles Leclerc could have mattered
The battle involving Charles Leclerc also left Lewis Hamilton with questions about whether Ferrari could have extracted more from the race. The British driver believed that the time spent behind his team-mate may ultimately have influenced the fight for the final podium position.
“I lost several seconds behind Charles and I think in the end that gap could have made the difference, but we’ll talk about it in our usual post-race meeting. What’s certain is that we still have a lot of work to do.”
Lewis Hamilton eventually found himself close enough to challenge George Russell, but the late VSC effectively froze the positions before the Ferrari driver could attempt a move. Fourth place was therefore the limit on an afternoon when the Scuderia’s race performance had suggested that a podium was possible.
Lewis Hamilton hopes Ferrari can start strongly at Monza
Attention now turns to the Italian Grand Prix, which takes place exactly two weeks after Zandvoort. Asked what he expects from Ferrari’s home weekend, Lewis Hamilton stressed that finding the correct balance from Friday onwards will be essential.
“At Monza we need to start strongly and find the right balance from the beginning. I hope our pace will be better and that we can fight for something special; we’ll do it with our hearts, for all the fans,” Lewis Hamilton concluded.
The focus will therefore quickly shift from the frustration of Zandvoort to Ferrari’s home race, where the team is also preparing its next planned SF-26 performance step for Monza. For Lewis Hamilton, the priority is clear: begin the weekend with the car in the right operating window and give Ferrari the best possible opportunity to fight at the front in front of the Tifosi.
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