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'Not the same here' – Frustrated Hamilton makes Mercedes strategy comparison

Sky Sports Football ·
'Not the same here' – Frustrated Hamilton makes Mercedes strategy comparison

"It is difficult when you are looking ahead and you see the two Mercedes drivers, they get the call and it's done, and they execute straight away"; Hamilton expressed frustration over Ferrari team radio after being caught behind team-mate Charles Leclerc when lapping quickly on fresh tyres

Lewis Hamilton revealed he will take frustrations with Ferrari's in-race management in the Dutch Grand Prix "offline" as he made a comparison to their apparent hesitation in swapping drivers on different strategies with his old team Mercedes.

Hamilton described his Sunday in Zandvoort as "definitely frustrating for me" after he was unable to find a way past Mercedes' George Russell for third place in the closing laps.

The seven-time world champion's irritation peaked on team radio midway through the race when he caught up with team-mate Charles Leclerc.

On fresher tyres after making a later pit stop than his team-mate, Hamilton initially pointed out as he arrived at the back of the sister Ferrari: "I'm quicker than Charles. These tyres are better."

However, Ferrari opted against reversing the order of the cars, which then led to an unusually-curt Hamilton barking: "We are just losing time!" Then, once Leclerc had pitted, Hamilton sarcastically returned to the radio to say: "A great way of wasting time guys, good job."

He went on to finish fourth on the tail of Russell, who had been instructed by Mercedes in the closing laps to let his team-mate Kimi Antonelli back by when the Italian caught the Briton on significantly faster and fresher tyres - decisive team tactics not lost on Hamilton.

Asked after the race about his blunt radio messages, Hamilton told F1 : "I want to win. I want to win. I'm here to win.

"It is difficult when you are looking ahead and you see the two Mercedes drivers, they get the call and it's done, and they execute straight away.

"They let Kimi by and let him get on with the race. I was on a different strategy and it's not the same here.

"That's a little bit difficult but we'll take it offline and when I go back now, I'll speak to them about it."

Although Ferrari were outqualified by McLaren and Mercedes for both the sprint and main grand prix at Zandvoort, their longer-run pace was more impressive and they again became a factor in the podium hunt.

Hamilton, who had started fifth, praised the latest round of upgrades brought to the SF-26 for the first race after the summer break but expressed regret they had not been able to get a little more out of Sunday.

He told Sky Sports F1 : "Firstly, the guys in the garage did a fantastic job. Pit stops, strategy was generally very, very good. The car felt awesome and they have continued to work so hard.

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5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.skysports.com — the content belongs to Sky Sports Football.

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