Furious Lewis Hamilton blasts Mercedes for baffling 'f*** up' at at Dutch GP
A furious Lewis Hamilton has let rip at Mercedes after a baffling call robbed him of a chance of victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Matthew Sullivan
2 min read
September 4, 2022 - 7:25PM
Max Verstappen has won the Dutch Grand Prix to extend his lead in the drivers' championship as Red Bull snatched victory from Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen started in pole position but it was far from a procession as he battled challenges from Mercedes and Ferrari.
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Hamilton took the lead midway through the race and at one stage it seemed his one pit stop strategy would get him the win.
But a bizarre incident to AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda triggered a Virtual Safety Car, allowing Verstappen to take a cheap pit stop and stay in the lead.
Then there was another Safety Car when Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas stopped, allowing Hamilton to take the lead and tilting the race back in Mercedes' favour.
George Russell made the call to come into the pits and change to soft tyres, meaning Hamilton was a sitting duck and was immediately overtaken by Verstappen when the race restarted.
Adding insult to injury, Hamilton was passed by Charles Leclerc and missed out on the podium - a cruel result when victory was within reach.
Verstappen swopped on Hamilton after the Safety Car. Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images.
The seven-time world champion was furious Mercedes let Russell pit and didn't keep his teammate out on the track to act as a buffer between Hamilton and Verstappen.
"That was the biggest f*** up," Hamilton fumed over team radio.
"I can't believe how much you guys f***ed me."
The race brought back memories of last year's epic season finale in Abu Dhabi, which also saw Verstappen pass Hamilton in the dying stages to famously claim the championship.
Red Bull had excellent straight line speed and Verstappen may have still overtaken both Russell and Hamilton even if Mercedes kept them both out on the track.
But Mercedes' decision to allow Russell to pit and not leave him out to try and block Verstappen was heavily criticised by fans and pundits.
Ferrari might understandably be a laughing stock because of their strategy incompetence, but Mercedes allowing George Russell to pit there leaving Lewis Hamilton exposed is honestly one of the worst calls I've seen.
On his post-race cool down lap, Hamilton specifically thanked the Mercedes mechanics for the efforts - in a pointed dig at his team's pit wall strategists.
"To all the mechanics fantastic job today," he said.
"Those were the best pit stops we've had all year, so thank you with the continued efforts. Let's keep pushing, we still got points today."
He later walked back his language and apologised to Mercedes for his radio outburst.
"I was really hopefully we were going to get a 1-2 together as a team after an up and down year and we've not had a win since Brazil," Hamilton said post-race.
"It's finally there within our grasp and of course the safety car really didn't help and I was on the edge of breaking point with emotions.
"My apologies to the team because I don't even remember what I said. I just lost it for a second. But I think they know it's just so much passion. I want to look at as a glass half full."
Daniel Ricciardo had another race to forget and finished in 17th, the same position he started in.
Max Verstappen picked up yet another victory. Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images.
Dutch Grand Prix results (top 10)
1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2) George Russell (Mercedes)
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5) Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
6) Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
7) Lando Norris (McLaren)
8) Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
9) Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
10) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Updates
Hamilton fuming after Mercedes call
Max Verstappen is heading towards victory after easily passing Hamilton on fresher tyres when the race restarted.
Mercedes allowed George Russell to pit and change to soft tyres during the Safety Car, meaning Verstappen had a clear run at Hamilton.
On old tyres, Hamilton was a sitting duck and was then passed by Russell and Charles Leclerc and will miss out on a podium after it looked at one stage like he might win the race.
"That was the biggest f*** up," Hamilton fumed over team radio. "I can't believe how much you guys f***ed me".
Another safety car sets up thriller
Valtteri Bottas' Alfa Romeo broke down on him, triggering another Virtual Safety Car.
Red Bull took the opportunity to pit Verstappen again and he will have to overtake Hamilton to get the win.
George Russell decided to pit again to get soft tyres, meaning Hamilton doesn't have a driver between him and Verstappen.
There are just over 10 laps to go and it's all set up for a thrilling finish.
Safety car a gift to Verstappen
An issue with AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda triggered a Virtual Safety Car, gifting Max Verstappen a cheap pit stop and allowing him to stay in the lead.
Tsunoda came in for a pit stop after claiming he had a loose wheel, but the mechanics appeared to be tightening his seatbelt. He left the pits, pulled over to the side of the track and is now out of the race.
The pit lane incident will be investigated after the race.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and George Russell pitted onto medium tyres, while Verstappen is on hard tyres.
"That VSC has stuffed us," Hamilton said on team radio.
Verstappen leads Hamilton by about 12 seconds.
Hamilton and Mercedes on the charge
We have a race on our hands.
Max Verstappen is still in the lead ahead of Charles Leclerc but they will likely need to have a pit stop.
Lewis Hamilton is on the charge in third place and is showing great pace, overtaking Sergio Perez.
Mercedes has opted for the one pit stop strategy on hard tyres and with Hamilton and George Russell (in fourth) on fire, they could well steal the win.
Ferrari stuff up yet again
There it is, Ferrari have stuffed up once again.
Carlos Sainz came in for his first pit stop early in the race but the Ferrari team didn't have a left rear tyre ready and the Spaniard was made to wait an agonising 12.7 seconds.
Sainz was overtaken in the pit lane by Sergio Perez and could only sigh and say: "Oh my god" over team radio.
Officials are investigating an incident in the pit lane which saw Perez run over the top of a Ferrari tyre gun.
Asked about the pit stop shocker, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto simply described it as "a mess".
Ferrari truly do find a new way to stuff their drivers over every race don’t they? #DutchGP
A very, very slow stop for Sainz. 12.7s in the pit box, with the Ferrari mechanics apparently not ready for him. Perez able to duck in and out ahead of him. Another Ferrari shocker? #DutchGP#F1
It's lights out and Max Verstappen made a solid start, covering off Charles Leclerc into Turn 1 to hold a narrow lead in the early stages.
Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz nudged into each other on the first lap in a nervy moment.
Kevin Magnussen lost control of his Haas and slid across the gravel and into the barrier, but he didn't sustain major damage and is able to continue for now.
Kevin Magnussen into the gravel and tags the barrier, but miraculously seems to escape without much damage. A very lucky escape for the Haas driver. #DutchGP#F1
Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon made good starts and moved up into the top 10.
Ricciardo willing to step away from F1
Daniel Ricciardo says he would be willing to step away from the F1 grid for a year if an offer to drive for a competitive team doesn't present itself straight away.
The Aussie's future is up in the air after being sacked by McLaren and replaced by Oscar Piastri but Ricciardo is considering taking a year off if it means he eventually snags a drive at another team.
“If it means I’m not on the grid next year, I will still certainly try to find a way to be on there in 2024. It’s honestly the only racing I’m really interested in at the moment.
"My mindset is still I’m an F1 driver. I am proud of what I’ve done, but I still feel there’s a bit more to show or to give myself. I wouldn’t race another category next year. That fire in my gut is still there. It hasn’t gone away.
“There are pros with having some time off as well. The last 18 months have been more challenging than not, so maybe some time away would do me good.
"But then obviously staying active in here is good. So that’s why I want to hear everything. Even if it’s reserve, I don’t want to be too proud to say, ‘I’m too good for that.’ I just want to hear everything and see what makes sense."
Daniel Ricciardo is considering stepping away from F1 in 2023. Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images.
Ricciardo said he is just focused on racing at the moment but he will take time to assess his options and any offers after the current triple header wraps up at Monza next weekend.
“I don’t have every option under the sun, but I think there will be some options or decisions," he said.
"That’s where it really comes down to: what’s going to be best for me and what’s going to make me feel like I can get back to the level that I know, where I’m comfortable and happy.
“I don’t want to just sign something and then be like, ‘Oh wait, now something else is there for 2024.’ It’s probably not as simple as just getting somewhere on the grid next year. It could go probably many different directions. I don’t think anything needs an immediate decision.
“I still definitely have the ability to love a project. But of course, if it’s a kind of longer project or one where you’re going to win tomorrow, of course, I’m going to go for the quick wins. But I don’t also want to be sort of stubborn or short sighted and say, ‘Oh no, I’m not interested in that.’
“I still want to be on the grid. That might not be at any cost, but I definitely still want to do it. I guess I’m proud to have come through it with my head held high. I wish the 18 months would have been better, but I’m still moving on and eyes forward. I’m still OK.”
Final starting grid
Dutch Grand Prix starting grid 1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 6. George Russell (Mercedes) 7. Lando Norris (McLaren) 8. Mick Schumacher (Haas) 9. Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) 10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 11. Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) 12. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) 13. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) 14. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) 15. Alex Albon (Williams) 16. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 17. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 18. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 19. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) 20. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
