Lewis Hamilton Takes Responsibility for Frustrated Radio Outbursts, Vows the Ferrari Fight ‘Is Absolutely Still On’

• Lewis Hamilton says he didn’t show “the best version” of himself when criticising Ferrari’s strategy calls over the radio and in television interviews at the Dutch Grand Prix
• The seven-time champion was frustrated that his team did not swap him ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc sooner, costing him what he felt was a shot at the podium
• Hamilton’s former team-mate Nico Rosberg says Ferrari’s execution, not its pace, is costing Hamilton and Leclerc “much better results”

A day after venting his frustration over the radio at Zandvoort, Lewis Hamilton used social media to own the way he had handled it. “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,” he wrote. “But that wasn’t the best version of me. I take responsibility for that, and I’ll be better.”

Hamilton had sounded irate in a series of radio messages sent as he was held up by teammate Charles Leclerc. The pair were running different strategies in the Dutch Grand Prix, which made the delay harder to accept.

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A Fourth Place That Felt Worse Than It Looked

The seven-time world champion felt the time he lost behind Leclerc cost him a shot at the podium, finishing fourth just behind George Russell after he could not find a way past the Mercedes in a close finish. Hamilton drew a direct comparison between Ferrari’s hesitation and Mercedes decisively ordering Russell aside for championship leader Kimi Antonelli later in the same race.

The result pushed Hamilton’s deficit to Antonelli at the top of the standings out to 59 points, and dropped him to third in the championship behind Russell, who has the same points total but more wins this season.

“The Fight Is Absolutely Still On”

The race, won by McLaren’s Lando Norris, marked a third straight grand prix without a podium for Hamilton, yet the 41-year-old insisted his title challenge remains alive. “That passion comes from believing in this team, the people in it, and what we’re building together,” he said. “The direction is clear. The belief is there. And the fight is absolutely still on. Thank you for sticking with us and with me. We’ll keep building, keep pushing and keep fighting.”

Ferrari brought a new floor and diffuser to Zandvoort as part of what has been a steady development push through the season, and Hamilton made a point of praising the effort behind it. “I’m incredibly proud of everyone back at the factory who continues to bring updates, find performance and push us forward,” he said. “To the team at the track, thank you. The commitment and effort never go unnoticed. We still have work to do, particularly over one lap, but we’ll keep digging in, learning and improving together.”

Rosberg’s Diagnosis

Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, now a Sky Sports F1 pundit, pointed to Ferrari’s execution rather than its raw pace as the recurring problem. “Ferrari have been top five all the time but there’s a little bit of the feeling after every weekend of ‘what could have been,'” the 2016 world champion said after Sunday’s race.

“Even in the last couple of races, Hungary I felt Lewis could have won that if things had gone his way, and this weekend they were a bit more off the pace, but only in qualifying. In the race they were fast,” Rosberg said. “They keep on just not maximising weekends, and that’s how Lewis seems a bit frustrated, and also Charles. Both of them. It’s very little things that seem to add up all the time. So they’ve got to improve that, and on the execution side just nail it, because they can really, just with that, get much better results.”

Leclerc finished fifth at Zandvoort, one place behind Hamilton, and Ferrari’s gap to Mercedes at the top of the Constructors’ Championship grew to 87 points. Formula 1 heads to Monza next for Ferrari’s home race, the Italian Grand Prix on September 4-6.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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