Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari should have used team orders at Zandvoort, arguing that Charles Leclerc cost him valuable time during the Dutch Grand Prix.

Hamilton wanted Ferrari to act

Hamilton moved up to fifth after overtaking Oscar Piastri on lap 35. He then found himself behind a slower Leclerc, which prevented him from maintaining his progress.

Lewis Hamilton became frustrated after getting stuck behind Charles Leclerc during the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver eventually complained over the radio, sarcastically criticizing the amount of time being lost.

Leclerc remained ahead until he made his pit stop on lap 43, finally freeing Hamilton to continue his recovery.

Hamilton later compared Ferrari’s approach with Mercedes, which instructed George Russell to give second place to Kimi Antonelli with seven laps remaining.

Mercedes’ decision influenced Hamilton’s frustration

Mercedes made the decision because Antonelli had significantly fresher tires and could potentially challenge Lando Norris for the lead.

Although Norris ultimately won, both Mercedes drivers accepted the decision and finished second and third.

Hamilton pointed to Mercedes’ decision to swap Russell and Antonelli as an example of more effective team management.

Hamilton believes Ferrari could have acted similarly when Leclerc was slowing his progress.

He said he wants to win and finds it difficult when he sees another team making an immediate strategic decision while Ferrari does not react in the same way.

Hamilton also said he intends to discuss the matter with Ferrari when he returns to the team.

Lost time behind Leclerc hurt Hamilton’s podium hopes

Hamilton eventually had a chance to fight Russell for third place, but a late Virtual Safety Car made the opportunity even harder.

The British driver said he was getting close to the Mercedes when the VSC was deployed on lap 70.

Hamilton believes the time lost behind Leclerc ultimately reduced his chances of challenging Russell for the final podium position.

He also pointed to Ferrari’s lack of straight-line speed.

Hamilton estimated Ferrari was losing around four tenths of a second per lap on the straights compared with Mercedes and McLaren.

That made overtaking particularly difficult and increased the importance of avoiding traffic.

Hamilton wants more engine performance from Ferrari

Despite his criticism, Hamilton praised Ferrari for bringing an upgrade to Zandvoort.

The seven-time world champion believes the team is moving closer to Mercedes, but he also thinks Ferrari must address its power deficit.

Hamilton praised Ferrari’s latest upgrade but believes the team still needs more engine performance to challenge Mercedes.

According to Hamilton, Ferrari has spent much of the season giving away performance on the straights.

He believes finding additional engine power is essential if Ferrari wants to close the gap and fight Mercedes consistently.

For Lewis Hamilton Ferrari, Zandvoort therefore produced a mixed result. The fourth-place finish was solid, but Hamilton believes Ferrari’s handling of team orders and its remaining power deficit prevented an even stronger result.

Franco Colapinto criticized the FIA stewards after a drive-through penalty ruined his Dutch Grand Prix, calling the decision excessively harsh.

Franco Colapinto left the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix frustrated after a promising start at Zandvoort was undone by a drive-through penalty.

The Alpine driver briefly moved into the top 10 during a chaotic opening lap, but he was penalized for overtaking under yellow flags. A later 10-second penalty made the situation even worse, leaving him 14th at the finish.

Colapinto questions the drive-through penalty

The first penalty came after Max Verstappen crashed at the final corner, leaving debris across the circuit and creating difficult conditions.

The track was wet, visibility was complicated, and Colapinto passed Yuki Tsunoda while completing an overtaking move.

Franco Colapinto was penalized for overtaking under double yellow flags during a chaotic opening lap at Zandvoort.

The stewards determined that Colapinto had overtaken under double yellow flags and issued a drive-through penalty.

However, Colapinto argued that the circumstances made the situation extremely difficult to judge from inside the car.

He said the penalty effectively destroyed what had been a strong opening to the race.

Colapinto says braking could have been more dangerous

The Alpine driver believes the timing of the yellow flag was crucial.

According to Colapinto, the warning appeared very late while he was already completing the overtaking maneuver on a wet track.

Colapinto argued that sudden braking on the wet track could have created an even more dangerous situation.

He said abruptly hitting the brakes or accelerating sharply in the middle of the straight could have created additional risks, particularly because several cars were already struggling for grip.

Colapinto believes the rules should allow stewards to consider the specific circumstances rather than applying them rigidly in every situation.

His argument was that safety should remain the priority when conditions deteriorate rapidly.

The Alpine driver calls the decision too harsh

When asked whether the stewards had been too strict, Colapinto gave a direct answer.

He said the stewards had been “extremely harsh” in this particular situation.

Colapinto believes the FIA stewards should have considered the difficult conditions before issuing such a severe penalty.

The Argentine acknowledged that applying the rules is part of the stewards’ responsibility, but argued that they must also use judgment when track conditions are exceptionally difficult.

He particularly questioned the severity of the punishment.

A drive-through penalty can cost a driver a significant amount of time and effectively eliminate any chance of fighting for points.

Colapinto believes the punishment was excessive

The weekend therefore ended with a frustrating result for Colapinto.

The Alpine driver believes he had the opportunity to fight for a better position after making a strong start, but the penalty prevented him from converting that pace into a meaningful result.

For Franco Colapinto FIA, the Zandvoort controversy highlights his belief that stewards should have more flexibility when incidents occur during the opening lap and under rapidly changing conditions.

Fernando Alonso scored a ninth-place finish at Zandvoort after switching to a one-stop strategy and defending brilliantly despite heavily worn tires.

Fernando Alonso produced one of the standout performances of the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, scoring points for Aston Martin with a ninth-place finish.

The Spaniard made just one pit stop, despite the original plan calling for two, and then defended his position during the closing laps with significantly more worn tires than his rivals.

The result gave Aston Martin its best finish of the season so far.

Alonso changes strategy during the race

Aston Martin had initially expected Alonso to use a conventional two-stop strategy. However, the team changed its approach as the race developed.

The decision to remain on track longer allowed Alonso to take advantage of clear air, an important factor given the strengths and weaknesses of the AMR26.

Fernando Alonso scored ninth at Zandvoort after Aston Martin changed its original two-stop strategy during the race.

Alonso explained that the team could not fully exploit its pace when running behind other cars.

The Aston Martin was particularly strong through the corners, but continued to lose time on the straights despite the introduction of Honda’s updated power unit.

That made overtaking and following closely more difficult.

Clean air was more valuable than a perfect strategy

With the car losing performance while trapped in traffic, Alonso and Aston Martin decided to prioritize clean air.

Staying out on track meant Alonso could use the car’s stronger cornering performance without being immediately compromised by the speed difference on the straights.

Alonso used the Aston Martin’s strong cornering performance to maintain his position while running in clean air.

The strategy created a significant tire-management challenge.

By the final stages, Alonso’s tires were much more worn than those of the drivers around him. Despite that disadvantage, he managed to defend ninth place until the checkered flag.

Aston Martin earned the points

Alonso was clear that the result was not simply the product of unusual circumstances.

He contrasted the Zandvoort finish with the point Aston Martin scored in Monaco, where a large number of retirements influenced the result.

Alonso believes Aston Martin genuinely deserved its two points at Zandvoort.

At Zandvoort, he felt the result reflected the team’s actual performance rather than an unusually high number of retirements.

He also warned that Aston Martin’s competitiveness will continue to depend heavily on the characteristics of each circuit.

Tracks with more straights are likely to expose the AMR26’s weaknesses, while circuits with more corners could provide stronger opportunities.

Alonso expects Monza to be difficult

The Spaniard does not expect Aston Martin to be particularly competitive at Monza.

The Italian circuit places a greater emphasis on straight-line speed, which could expose the team’s remaining weaknesses even with the new Honda power unit.

However, Alonso believes other circuits could provide further opportunities to score points.

For Fernando Alonso Zandvoort, the ninth-place finish represents a significant achievement. The combination of strategic flexibility, tire management, and late-race defense allowed him to extract an excellent result from a car that remains highly circuit-dependent.

After the race, when journalists praised his performance, Alonso summed up his approach with characteristic confidence: “It’s very difficult, but I’m a very good driver.”