Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has played down Lewis Hamilton's frustrated radio outbursts during the Dutch Grand Prix. The seven-time former world champion narrowly missed out on a podium at Zandvoort on Sunday, eventually crossing the line in fourth place.
Hamilton's Radio Frustration
Boasting a four-lap tyre advantage over Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, Hamilton was significantly faster than the Monegasque driver on Lap 42 and urged his team to allow him past for what was then second place. Leclerc was in no rush to comply, however, leaving Hamilton visibly irritated and unable to conceal his frustration over team radio.
The Brit sarcastically said: "Great way of wasting time guys, good job."
Yet to pit for fresh rubber, Hamilton had been leading the race while eventual winner Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli were closing in rapidly behind him, prompting the 49-year-old to question the team's strategy. He said: "Are you using me as a guinea pig or what? What's going on? How long will you have me stay out?"
Vasseur's Response
Vasseur has now addressed Hamilton's radio messages in comments made to GPblog. The 58-year-old said: "We didn't want to tell him the strategy at this stage because we didn't want to disclose it to the competitors."
"Because we wanted to keep him on track until the end but he was able to keep Antonelli behind him and I think it would have been the right call."
Addressing the earlier drama with Leclerc, he added: "Charles was supposed to pit, we extended one lap and it was a kind of confusion but I'm not worried about this. Everybody will be back in the briefing, they will have a clear picture about the race."
Race Outcome and Championship Standings
Hamilton enjoyed a slice of fortune courtesy of a Lap 55 Virtual Safety Car, which enabled him to come out in front of his team-mate following his pit stop. The Briton ultimately claimed P4, though will sense an opportunity was squandered in his pursuit of Antonelli in the Drivers' championship.
Hamilton now trails the Italian by 59 points, level with former Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who secured P3. Formula 1 returns in September at Monza with European races to follow in Spain and Azerbaijan before the Bahrain GP in October.
