F1 legend Lewis Hamilton blames Ferrari change for Dutch Grand Prix disaster

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton blames Ferrari change for F1 Dutch Grand Prix disaster

Well, it had to be something...

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 22 August 2026 18:31

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Lewis Hamilton has blamed a 'subtle' change to his car after practice at the Dutch Grand Prix for his seventh place in sprint qualifying and the subsequent Sprint race.

The Ferrari star came into the weekend hoping that some upgrades brought by the team would help him cut into Kimi Antonelli's lead in the drivers' championship, but his sprint performances have actually seen the Italian extend his advantage despite sustaining floor damage on Friday.

Hamilton said after a frustrating sprint race, most of which he spent staring at the back of Max Verstappen's Red Bull, that he and the team are planning to revert to something more like their practice setup for grand prix qualifying later in the day.

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“The car felt quite good in P1," he told Sky Sports. "Then the subtle change, and it threw the car really into a different direction in qualifying, which we carried into the [sprint] race. So I hope we can make the change back to something similar that we had in P1.”

QUALIFYING RESULTS: Dutch Grand Prix times and grid positions from Zandvoort

Sky pundit questions Ferrari setup change

Sky Sports' Naomi Schiff did question just how 'subtle' the changes made by Ferrari could've been, given that a floor change was involved in the setup switch between sessions.

“They’ve obviously put this floor on after FP1 into a competitive session like sprint qualifying," she said. "And obviously you’re learning on the go, you can put that sort of setup into the simulator and you can get an understanding of it.

“But until you’ve got the real product on track, you don’t know what that’s going to give you in terms of feedback as a driver. So it is tough, especially when you’re pushing, to then get an understanding and make sure you can make tweaks to balance that big change out.

“And I know Lewis is referring to it as a subtle change, but changing the floor is not that subtle is it?”

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Dutch Grand Prix