Lewis Hamilton's frustration with his team's strategy at the Dutch Grand Prix reached a boiling point after seeing his former team, Mercedes, handle the swap between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli with such ease. At Zandvoort, Hamilton finished fourth, just a few seconds behind Russell on the podium, and he believes the time lost behind teammate Charles Leclerc was the deciding factor.
The trouble began in the second stint, when Hamilton felt trapped behind Leclerc, who was on slightly older medium tyres while he was on hards. After Hamilton complained over the radio, Ferrari called Leclerc in, but Leclerc didn't comply immediately, making Hamilton increasingly exasperated. Once Leclerc finally pitted, Hamilton sarcastically remarked, "Great way of losing time, guys, good job!"
Team boss Fred Vasseur downplayed the moment, saying it wasn't crucial because Hamilton was planning to stay out until the end. However, the virtual safety car changed the complexion of his race, giving him a 'discounted' pitstop. But the time lost behind Leclerc—about 1.5 to 2 seconds—still haunted him at the finish, as he came up just short of passing Russell for third.
Hamilton didn't just criticize his own team; he compared it to how Mercedes handled a similar situation. "It is difficult, when you're looking ahead and you see the two Mercedes drivers—they get the call, and it's done, they execute straight away. They let Kimi by and let him get on with the race," he told F1 TV. "And I was on a different strategy to Charles, and it's not the same here. We'll take it offline and discuss it later."
Leclerc, meanwhile, was equally unhappy. He was surprised to be called in so early, as he wanted to build a tyre delta against the Mercedes to attack in the final laps. "I was very surprised to box so early when we had done exactly what we wanted. We need to look at why," he said.
The contrasting approaches to team orders between Ferrari and Mercedes became a major talking point this weekend. Hamilton, who often suffered from team orders at Mercedes, now faces a different kind of frustration at Ferrari. With the championship battle heating up, such moments could prove pivotal later in the season.
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