Lewis Hamilton believes ferrari strategy cost him Dutch GP podium

Lewis Hamilton believes he could have secured a podium finish at Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix if Ferrari had acted sooner to move him ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion finished a frustrating fourth, narrowly missing out on the podium and losing valuable ground in the championship standings. Leclerc followed closely behind in fifth.

McLaren’s Lando Norris took victory, while Mercedes teammates Kimi Antonelli and George Russell completed the podium in second and third after swapping positions during the race.

Hamilton is now level on points with Russell and sits 59 points behind Antonelli in the championship battle.

During the race, Hamilton told Ferrari that he believed he was faster than Leclerc while running a different tyre strategy. However, the team waited another lap before bringing Leclerc into the pits.

“Let’s not hold ourselves up from a potentially better result,” Hamilton told Ferrari over the team radio.

After Leclerc eventually made his pit stop, Hamilton appeared frustrated with the delay.

“Big waste of time guys, good job,” he said sarcastically over the radio.

Hamilton then focused on chasing George Russell for the final podium position. Despite closing the gap significantly in the closing stages, the Ferrari driver finished less than a second behind the Mercedes.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton praised Ferrari’s overall performance but admitted that the afternoon had been frustrating.

“I’m here to win and I really believe that this team can win,” Hamilton said in an interview with Sky Sports.

“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.”

Hamilton believes the time lost behind Leclerc ultimately made the difference.

“And then, today, I lost several seconds behind Charles which I think ultimately would have made the difference at the end.”

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza will be Ferrari’s next opportunity to fight for victory, with the historic race taking place on home soil outside Milan.

Both Hamilton and Leclerc have claimed one victory each so far this season, but Ferrari’s championship drought remains a major talking point. The team last won the Formula 1 World Championship in 2008.