Ferrari Misses Dutch Grand Prix Podium as Hamilton Finishes Fourth

Ferrari finished the Dutch Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth after showing competitive race pace but missing the podium at Zandvoort. Formula1.com reported that Hamilton was unable to pass George Russell for the final podium position, while Leclerc's late involvement in the fight added another complication for the two Ferrari drivers.

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Hamilton and Leclerc started fifth and sixth respectively after qualifying behind the two Mercedes and two McLaren cars. Leclerc initially appeared the quicker Ferrari and joined the contest for third place. Hamilton made contact with Max Verstappen at the first start, then ran a longer opening stint than several of the other leading drivers as Ferrari pursued a different route through the race.

That longer stint left Hamilton on fresher tyres when he closed on Leclerc and passed his teammate midway through the Grand Prix. Both Ferrari cars stopped again during a late Virtual Safety Car period. Hamilton then chased Russell, who was running older tyres, but could not complete a pass before the finish and remained fourth.

Hamilton described the race as solid and said Ferrari had brought home important points, according to Formula1.com's post-race report. He credited the team's strategy, pit-lane work and mechanics, while also stressing that Ferrari must make the most of every available opportunity if it is to remain in the championship fight.

Leclerc said Ferrari's pace was strong enough to keep him hopeful until the end. He also said the timing of the Virtual Safety Car did not help his race, though he was pleased with his tyre management and his pass on Oscar Piastri. Leclerc identified his starting position as the principal limitation and said Ferrari needed to understand how to improve its qualifying pace.

Team principal Fred Vasseur said Ferrari's execution had not been perfect. He pointed to Leclerc losing a place to Piastri at the second start and to a slow pit stop as areas requiring improvement in a closely matched field. Vasseur judged qualifying pace to have been the larger weakness over the weekend and said the team would review the event before the next race at Monza.