Lewis Hamilton has pinned Ferrari’s ragged Zandvoort weekend on the setup work done between Friday practice and Saturday’s sprint race, arguing the small tweaks his engineers signed off overnight were what turned a car he had trusted in FP1 into one he could no longer read.
Speaking to ESPN after the sprint, Hamilton said the alterations came in the search of small gains and did the opposite.
“In practice, the car felt great and was consistent, but there are always areas you feel you can improve, so we made subtle changes to try and fix those improvements, and it flipped the car on its head, and it was horrible through sprint qualifying and the sprint,” he said.
Ferrari reset the setup before qualifying and the swing back was drastic. Hamilton lined up fifth for the grand prix and told Formula1.com the fix was disproportionate to what the numbers looked like on paper.
“I’m so much happier with the car, honestly. It’s crazy. We changed a lot of things, but it doesn’t really look that big. But the difference it makes in the car is unbelievable,” he said after qualifying.
Charles Leclerc, sixth on the grid, blamed his own trouble on engine modes shifting through Q1, Q2 and Q3 rather than the aero setup that had thrown his teammate.
A fourth place, then the radio
Sunday still turned sour. Hamilton finished fourth, 16.7 seconds behind winner Lando Norris and one place ahead of Leclerc, according to the classified result. The trouble came mid-race, when Hamilton was on fresher tyres and caught the slower Leclerc, and the team orders he wanted never came.
“Great way of wasting time guys, good job,” Hamilton said sarcastically to his engineers, before adding: “I want to win. I want to win. I’m here to win”, as Motorsport.com transcribed the exchange.
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“That wasn’t the best version of me”
By Monday, Hamilton had walked it back. He posted an apology on social media that Motorsport Week reported in full.
“I’ve listened back to some of my radio and TV comments. In the heat of the moment, frustration can come out, especially when you care as deeply as I do. But that wasn’t the best version of me. I take responsibility for that, and I’ll be better,” he wrote.
He then tied the apology to the wider Ferrari project.
“That passion comes from believing in this team, the people in it, and what we’re building together. The direction is clear. The belief is there. And the fight is absolutely still on.”
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Five-place grid drop at Monza
Ferrari’s home race will not offer respite. Hamilton will start the Italian Grand Prix five places back after stewards ruled he failed to slow sufficiently for double-waved yellow flags near the pit entry on his reconnaissance lap at Zandvoort. Telemetry showed he had lifted by only about 20kph from practice speed, and he was handed two penalty points on his licence as well.
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