F1 champion Lewis Hamilton doomed after bleak Dutch GP prophecy

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Belgium, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Dutch Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton doomed after bleak Dutch GP prophecy

Lewis Hamilton's chances at Zandvoort have been addressed

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 30 August 2025 22:42

Lewis Hamilton may have little to celebrate at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend after the F1 champion was forecast a bleak result.

F1 statistics either mean everything or nothing, depending on who you support and what light they show your favoured driver in. So, Hamilton fans will be ignoring a bleak prophecy predicted ahead of the Dutch GP.

Speaking during FP2 on Friday at the Dutch GP, Sky F1 commentator David Croft issued a miserable prediction for Hamilton’s finishing position at Sunday’s main event.

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Based on the 40-year-old’s previous experiences at Zandvoort, Croft said: “Lewis Hamilton will finish 10th in the race on Sunday.”

“Just to let you know, the stats never lie… until they do, until they don’t come true,” Crofty joked.

“You remember Lewis was second here in 2021, 2022 he finished fourth, 2023 he finished… [sixth Karun Chandhok confirmed] and 2024 last year he finished [eighth Chandhok added again] so this year he’ll finish?”

“10th, Chandhok replied, before adding: “I know my two times tables.”

Is there any truth to Hamilton’s Dutch GP prophecy?

Hamilton's form at Zandvoort has dwindled over the years

While Hamilton’s decline at Zandvoort offers a satisfying numerical pattern, the reason for his worsening results is related to the machinery the champion has driven in recent years.

In 2021, and Hamilton’s best finish at Zandvoort in recent years, the Brit was racing with the generation of cars he had already acquired six world titles in at Mercedes.

From 2022 onwards however, the cars shifted to the new ground effect regulations, the set of rules Mercedes failed to master hence the lower race finishes.

Given Ferrari’s lack of pace in 2025, a podium finish for Hamilton at Zandvoort is a distant possibility, but neither is he guaranteed to finish P10 if he can find some consistency and best his team-mate Charles Leclerc this weekend.

A points finish is a realistic target for Hamilton, who finished the Hungarian GP outside of the top 10 in a miserable weekend for the champion prior to the summer break.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Dutch Grand Prix David Croft