Hamilton tells Ferrari to learn from Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari’s delay in moving Charles Leclerc aside at Zandvoort cost him several seconds and likely a podium, after he finished fourth and made clear the issue would be addressed internally rather than blamed on bad luck.

Hamilton’s frustration centered on the middle phase of the race. After passing Oscar Piastri for fifth on lap 35, he quickly arrived on the back of Leclerc, whom he considered slower on a different phase of the race. Ferrari did not switch the cars immediately, and Hamilton remained there until Leclerc finally pitted on lap 43. As the chance slipped away, Hamilton delivered a sarcastic radio message: “Great way of wasting time guys, good job,” before moving up to fourth.

Speaking afterward to Sky F1, Hamilton balanced praise for Ferrari’s weekend with a blunt verdict on that moment. He said the garage had done “a fantastic job,” that the pit stops and strategy were “generally very, very good,” and that the car “felt awesome.” But he added: “Today was definitely frustrating for me. I’m here to win and I really believe that this team can win. We couldn’t win this race but to win championships you have to pick up every point, and the last few races have been difficult with penalties and stuff and then, today, I lost several seconds behind Charles which I think ultimately would have made the difference at the end.” He said the matter would be discussed “offline.”

What sharpened Hamilton’s frustration was the comparison directly ahead of him. Mercedes ordered Andrea Kimi Antonelli through past George Russell late in the race, and Hamilton pointed to the speed with which that was done. In comments to F1 TV, Hamilton said: “I want to win. I want to win. I’m here to win and 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.” He added that Mercedes “let Kimi by and let him get on with the race,” while Ferrari had left him sitting behind his team-mate.

Hamilton still nearly reached the podium, closing on Russell in the final laps before a lap-70 Virtual Safety Car interrupted what had looked like his best chance. He told Motorsport.com: “It felt like it was the closest opportunity I had.” Hamilton said he had come out of Turn 14 close to Russell and was “just opening SM and just getting on the boost,” but accepted he still might not have completed the move because “the Mercedes is just so quick.” Even there, though, he returned to the same point: “I do think the time was lost when I was behind Charles, which ultimately meant I had a bigger distance to cover to try and catch up with George at the end.”

The episode mattered beyond one missed podium because Hamilton believes Ferrari is close enough that sharper execution can change results. He said the team had brought an upgrade to Zandvoort and praised the progress, but also warned that Ferrari still gives away too much on the straights. Hamilton said the team has been losing three to five tenths on straight-line performance depending on the track and that it “really need[s] to pick up the power” if it is going to fight Mercedes and move into a real championship battle.