RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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A venue Formula 1 sadly waves goodbye to after a quickfire five-year re-introduction, Zandvoort gave us one more thriller on the beach as the sport returned following the summer recess. Lando Norris kept his cool to secure a second consecutive victory , amid one massive first-lap crash for Max Verstappen and various yellow-flag windows of opportunity. Yet the host venue of the Dutch Grand Prix is also a glaring anomaly in the career of Lewis Hamilton : a circuit he has failed to win a grand prix at.
Things could have been different, mind. Four years ago, Hamilton launched into one of his most infamous tirades , later apologising after stating his Mercedes team had “f***** him” with a strategy call which saw hopes of triumph fade. On Sunday, Hamilton was more measured and nuanced with his words after finishing fourth, missing out on a podium after failing to steer his car past a valiant George Russell. But another underlying sense of ‘what-could-have-been’ remained.
“We’re just chipping away at it,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 . “This first half of the season… we’ve lost three to five tenths on the straight, that’s a hard deficit to overcome.
Lewis Hamilton spoke of his frustration after finishing fourth at the Dutch Grand Prix (PA Wire)
“Today was definitely frustrating for me. I’m here to win and I believe this team can win, but to win championships you have to pick up every possible point.
“Today, I lost several seconds behind Charles [Leclerc] which would’ve made the difference at the end. We’ll take it offline and my goal is to lead this team to the championship. We’ve got some work to do for sure.”
Hamilton’s words ring painfully true for fans of the Briton and the Scuderia alike. The team’s elder statesman was on a quicker tyre strategy when, in the second-half of the 72-lap race, he was stuck behind Leclerc for a few laps.
And when the Monegasque was eventually pitted, Hamilton’s sarcasm radiated – as it so often has done in the past – over team radio. “Great way of wasting time, good job,” he said to his race engineer Carlo Santi. Ultimately, Hamilton was proven right as he finished within a second of Russell in front. The likelihood is he’d have been ahead of his compatriot if he wasn’t held up earlier in the grand prix.
Another notable instance of Hamilton's exasperation came with, in typical Ferrari style, a lack of clarity over their next move. “We are thinking of going for a medium [tyre]” stated Santi. “Didn’t look great on Charles… is it slower?” Hamilton rightly rebuked. “We are not sure,” replied Santi. Cue Hamilton irritation. “You guys have got the data, so figure it out!” Perhaps aware of his tone, Hamilton then added: “Please!”
Hamilton was stuck behind teammate Charles Leclerc at a crucial moment in the grand prix (Getty)
What is of extra frustration is that Ferrari are not capitalising on a conspicuous narrowing of the field at the front. Where the prancing horse’s tilt has stalled, the papaya of McLaren, and their reigning world champion in Norris, have come roaring back into contention. Mercedes’ early-season dominance is no longer so stark and, yet, championship leader Kimi Antonelli is not being reeled in by Hamilton, still his closest challenger on the leaderboard outside of Mercedes.
Top-10 - F1 world championship
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 242 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 183 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 183 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 159 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 155 points
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 112 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 104 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 68 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 49 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 44 points
The contrast in the Silver Arrows' thinking was clear as day on Sunday, too. With Antonelli (in third) on quicker soft tyres in the final 10 laps of the race, Mercedes were decisive in their decision-making, ordering Russell (in second) to move aside despite the Briton’s pleas to think otherwise. Post-race, Russell accepted his team’s thought-process was the right one, despite the loss of points to his teammate and title rival.
As such, it is now time for Ferrari to follow suit and throw all their weight behind Hamilton, who is 28 points clear of Leclerc in the standings. The implementation of team orders from Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and his colleagues does not need to be overly radical, but Sunday’s scenario is an example where subtle modifications can make all the difference in the long run. Seven times a world champion but three times a final-race bridesmaid (in 2007, 2016 and 2021), Hamilton knows better than most that every point counts. Even last year, Max Verstappen only missed out on the championship in the end by two points.
And the next round in a fortnight, Ferrari’s scarlet-laden home event at Monza, represents a two-fold opening: not only do the Scuderia usually run well there, but Antonelli (whose lead now stands at 59 points) looks set to take a grid penalty at his home event. “We definitely need to hit the ground running [in Monza] in terms of execution,” Hamilton added. “I hope our pace is a bit better, hope we’ll be able to do well. Hopefully fighting towards the front… it would be something special.”
Hamilton speaks like a man who, at 41 years of age, knows he may not have another such chance at a title tilt. And technically, with a contract expiring next year, this is his penultimate season in Formula 1.
Hamilton now trails Kimi Antonelli by 59 points (Getty)
Since that memorable first win in red at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona in June, an event where Ferrari were rewarded for a rare showing of boldness and decisiveness in the strategy department, Hamilton’s results read: fifth, third, fourth, fifth, fourth. Clearly, that is not title-winning form.
However, with 11 rounds remaining and 283 points still to play for, there is still time for a turnaround. Still time to drea...
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