After a disastrous weekend in Hungary before the Formula One summer break, Lewis Hamilton looked as down as he’s ever been in public describing himself as “useless” and suggesting Ferrari should “change the driver.” As has been the case throughout his F1 career, the seven times champion experiences the highs and lows of reaching whilst wearing his heart on his sleeve.
It appeared the summer break had rejuvenated Hamilton, who is having a difficult year adapting to his new Ferrari team. The contrast between the team’s two drivers after qualifying in Zandvoort, couldn’t have been more extreme. “I’m very disappointed with myself, to be honest. I haven’t done the job today and I’ve been very poor,” Leclerc told Sky Sports.
“The whole weekend has been a little bit on the back foot on my side. I’ve been trying to change and to chase something that maybe wasn’t in the car this weekend for one reason or another,” he concluded. With the Monegasque set to start in sixth place, Hamilton had aquitted himself well in qualifying with a Q3 time just half a tenth slower than his team mate.
Hamilton sees “progress”
“I think this weekend, definitely, we’ve seen progress, and that was the goal,” said Hamilton. “A better approach, and overall, just everything has been more enjoyable, so I’ve definitely enjoyed it. I think I got the most out of the car in pretty much every session.” Neither Ferrari driver knew what was waiting for them on Sunday as the team suffered its first double DNF since the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was the first to fall following his first pitstop where the team fitted his car with fresh hard tyres. Yet the damp conditions which had developed from light drizzle a few laps earlier presented more of a challenge than Lewis expected as he entered the iconic banked turn three. It was clear from the TV replays that Hamilton entered the banked section with the right hand side of his car across the painted asphalt which was wet – with the inevitable result of a race ending clash with the wall.
With no one else around him, Hamilton’s mistake was his and his alone and unlike in Budapest, the British driver was somewhat upbeat following his disappointing DNF. He did imply in his post race remarks that at the time he wold have preferred to remain on his first set of tyres for longer, before attempting the undercut on George Russell ahead. “I didn’t really want the undercut necessarily, at that time,” he told assembled media. “I was just saying that we would have to probably try and undercut them at some point.
Ferrari boss pleased with Lewis’ progress
“Apart from that, it’s been a really solid weekend, and we made lots of… I felt like I made progress, just overall approach and everything. And so to come away with nothing is definitely painful,” Hamilton declared. The Ferrari team boss too refused to be too despondent over the driver error saying, ”I think he was behind George from the beginning of the race, and it was when we had the first stop, perhaps he was a bit wider in the corner, he was a bit faster than the lap before, a bit wider, and probably he touched the damp side of the track.
“Overall I think Lewis did a very good job this weekend,” said Fred Vasseur. “He was part of the recovery of the team. He was able to push us and to come back on a decent pace after Friday, and the race pace was ok.” Whilst Ferrari and Hamilton are philosophic over the affair, the Italian and European publications have not been so mellow in their assessment. Lewis today has been described as the “worst of the drivers” and “a disaster” as a range of publications report their conclusions of the Zandvoort weekend.
Most praised the efforts of Leclerc who performed a remake overtake on George Russell going into the chicane. Russell complained that the Ferrari driver had been outside the track limits, which was later confirmed, although in not issuing a penalty the stewards appear to decide the Mercedes driver may not have left enough room.
Russell critical of Leclerc’s optimism
Hamilton error: “Inexcusable” and “disastrous”
Corriere della Sera was direct in its assessment of Ferrari’s new driver. “Despite Hamilton not going very badly over the weekend at Zandvoort, he comes up just a little short at the crucial moments. He is hungry, but with a 5-place penalty already in his pocket for Monza, the dream already seems to be over. Hamilton’s mistake was also inexcusable.”
Clearly ‘the dream’ would be that Lewis Hamilton had rolled into Monza next weekend and banished all talk of him breaking the record for the most Ferrari starts before his first podium. Yet on his way yo the grid, Hamilton ignored a waved yellow flag and so the stewards have hammered him with a five place grid drop at the home race for the Scuderia.
Rival Italian media outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport was ruthless in its summary of the events in the Netherlands. “Ferrari is shattered. Kimi Antonelli pushes Charles Leclerc off the track, Lewis Hamilton is disastrous. Leclerc additionally battled with bad luck once again, while Hamilton made a big, unusual mistake. Leclerc’s overtaking manoeuvre [on George Russell] was like Valentino Rossi’s overtaking move on Marc Marquez at Assen 2015.”
Comical comparison to Minardi
The reference to Rossi is based on his 2015 MotoGP campaign, where he and Mark Marquez found themselves regularly squabbling over the same piece of asphalt. In Assen a frustrated Rossi on the final lap rammed up the inside of his rival almost straightening of the chicane.
Leo Turini who writes for the Agnelli family owned publication, La Stampa, is renown for having the ear of the Ferrari family. Whilst he dismissed Hamilton’s error as ‘just more of the same’ he was scathing about team boss Fred Vasseur and his lack of results. He recalls an embarrassing moment in the history of the iconic racing marque, when minnow team Minardi finished ahead of the Scuderia.
“Gianni Agnelli called Luca di Montezemolo to crow, saying: “F1 cannot be that complicated if the Fiat dealership in Faenza does better than us!’ Here we are again. As we saw in the Netherlands even the car built in Faenza slipped ahead of the Ferraris. It’s no longer called Minardi, but it’s the same situation: seeing Hadjar in fourth place is striking. A talented driver, of course, but Ferrari has performed below even modest expectations.
Verstappen shrugs of rival complaints
Vasseur criticised
“We hope to talk about Ferrari’s revival in Monza. The management in Maranello decided to rely on Fred Vasseur and explained their choice. So far, the present has been disappointing. I mean, Vasseur has NOT been confirmed [as team boss going forward] for results, because there aren’t any. Clearly, those in charge are trusting in future prospects. We’ll see what 2026 brings…”
With McLaren up to a second a lap quicker than the Ferrari’s when they were running, hopes for Monza look slim for the tifosi, who will surely see a papaya clad McLaren driver take to their memorable podium, positioned across the start finish line at the historic track.
Verstappen’s team mate resolved
Red Bull second seat curse resolved – The penultimate running of the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort was not one for the Formula One purist as once again the circuit made overtaking almost impossible without a considerable tyre offset. Fernando Alonso demonstrated this when stuck in a DRS he pitted for fresh rubber not only making up the time he lost changing tyres, but he caught and passed his rivals with a two second a lap overspeed, before a safety car ruined all his efforts.
Yet the race in the west of the Netherlands was far from a dull affair, as three safety cars along with its virtual brother were deployed throughout the 72 laps. The biggest smile came from the Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar, who boldly predicted before the start of the season that he would stand on the podium in 2025.
His excellent defensive drive prevented both Russell and Leclerc for passing him despite several attacks, and what looked like an excellent P4 for most of the afternoon became a podium when Lando Norris McLaren failed him with a handful of laps remaining. The French Algerian rookie F1 driver has thrust himself front and centre for the role of Max Verstappen’s partner for 2025…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
