Hamilton says Ferrari delay with Charles Leclerc was costly

Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari's delay in moving Charles Leclerc out of his way at the Dutch Grand Prix was costly and could have cost him second place. The Charles Leclerc Lewis Hamilton hold-up left Hamilton fourth at Zandvoort, after he lost several seconds and then ran out of time behind Mercedes. Lando Norris won the race, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli second and George Russell third. Hamilton later caught Russell but ran out of time to pass, a late virtual safety car also hindering his attempts, the BBC reported.

Key Takeaways

• Hamilton finished fourth and Leclerc fifth at Zandvoort, nose to tail behind Russell.
• Ferrari asked Leclerc to pit, he stayed out an extra lap, then was called in again.
• Hamilton radioed: "Great way of wasting time, guys. Great job."
• Mercedes immediately ordered Russell to let championship leader Kimi Antonelli past.
• Hamilton is third in the standings, 59 points behind Antonelli and 28 ahead of Leclerc.

What happened when Charles Leclerc held up Lewis Hamilton?

Hamilton, on fresher tyres after a later pit stop, came up behind Leclerc mid-race and asked to be let through so he could race the Mercedes drivers. On team radio he said he was quicker than Charles, that his tyres were better, and that they were "just losing time."

Ferrari asked Leclerc to pit. The Monegasque resisted, stayed out for a further lap, and was then ordered in again. Once Leclerc pitted, Hamilton said sarcastically it was a "great way of wasting time" and a "great job."

The two Ferraris finished fourth and fifth, right behind Russell. Hamilton had started fifth. He later told the team the race was "definitely frustrating" and that he "lost several seconds behind Charles, which I think ultimately could have made the difference in the end."

Why did Hamilton compare Ferrari's call with Mercedes?

With Russell in second and caught by team-mate Antonelli, Mercedes ordered Russell to let Antonelli past late in the race so the championship leader lost no time. Antonelli finished second and Russell third. Norris won for McLaren.

Hamilton said he was looking at Mercedes and seeing them "execute." "They got the car, they are fighting for the championship and did it straight away," he said. "Here, sitting back, it's something that we need to discuss." He told Sky Sports he would take it "offline."

Russell accepted the Mercedes call, saying the team's rule is not to fight on different strategies and that Antonelli "would have overtaken anyway." Team principal Toto Wolff said it "wasn't a difficult call."

What did Ferrari say, and what is next?

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said Ferrari did not tell Hamilton they expected him to run to the end, because they did not want to disclose the plan to competitors. He said Hamilton had kept Antonelli behind and that would have been the right call. Vasseur added that Charles was supposed to pit, they extended one lap, and it was "a kind of confusion," but he was not worried. He said the team would have a clear picture in the briefing.

Hamilton, third in the championship and 59 points behind Antonelli, said his goal is to lead Ferrari to the title and that "we've got some work to do." He praised the garage, pit stops and an SF-26 upgrade, but said Ferrari were losing about 0.4 seconds on the straights to Mercedes at Zandvoort and need more engine power. More on the weekend sits in Future Tech & AI Wonders. Formula 1 heads next to Ferrari's home race at Monza on 4-6 September.