Lewis Hamilton was not afraid to speak his mind after missing out on a podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver started the race in fifth, behind pole sitter Lando Norris, Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Norris went on to win the race, his second consecutive Grand Prix victory, with Antonelli and Russell completing the podium. Hamilton finished just 0.849 seconds behind Russell in the battle for the third and final podium place.
Lewis Hamilton Fumes After Dutch Grand Prix
Hamilton was not happy at all with how the race panned out. The 41-year-old was stuck behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc on lap 43 and was eager for the Monégasque driver to let him past as he felt he had more pace.
Leclerc, however, had no intention of doing so. He refused to let Hamilton by and ignored a call from his team to pit.
The 28-year-old went into the pits a lap later, allowing Hamilton to push on, but he was not happy with the whole incident. “Great waste of time there, guys,” he said over the radio.
Hamilton, who held off his teammate to finish fourth, hit back at his team following the race. After being told by his team that he was ‘unlucky’ not to pip Russell for the podium spot, Hamilton replied:
“We weren’t unlucky. We lost time earlier on and that cost us P3.”
In an interview with Sky Sports after the race, the seven-time world champion admitted the result was ‘very frustrating’, saying that he ‘lost several seconds behind Charles’ which ultimately proved to be the difference.
In another interview, Hamilton made reference to Mercedes, who let Antonelli past Russell when they were on different strategies. He said, per the official Formula 1 website: “Yeah, I want to win. I’m here to win, and it is difficult when you see… when you’re looking ahead and you see the two Mercedes drivers, they get the call and it’s done and they execute straight away.
“They let Kimi by and let him get on with the race, and I was on a different strategy and it was not the same here. That’s a little difficult, but we’ll take it offline and when I go back now I’ll speak to them about it.”
Hamtiilon’s comments have caused a real stir, with some F1 fans sympathising with Hamilton on Reddit. One said: ‘I do feel like his frustrations are valid, but it’s classic Ferrari.’ Another commented: ‘Lewis has been willing to play the team game for Charles since he arrived, so it must be frustrating to have it not reciprocated and see it cost him points and a place in the championship.’
A third wrote: ‘They [Ferrari] are a joke on strategy and that’s not going to change.’
Others haven’t shown any sympathy for Hamilton. One said: ‘No sympathy at all. He was in a Mercedes and he chose to move to Ferrari knowing full well their reputation,’ while another commented: ‘The guy isn’t used to a teammate not being the clear #2 letting him by. Let them fight on track.’
Hamilton, considered one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history, has amassed 183 points in the race for the 2026 World Championship. He trails Antonelli by 59 points.
