Hamilton offers Mercedes apology after expletive-riddled fury
Hamilton offers Mercedes apology after expletive-riddled fury
Lewis Hamilton has apologised to his Mercedes team after an expletive-laden rant in the closing stages of the Dutch Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion was in the hunt for his first win of the season after a one-stop strategy put him in range of former title rival Max Verstappen.
But a virtual safety car followed by a full neutralisation flipped the strategic board and after Verstappen pitted for soft tyres, Russell followed suit to leave Hamilton - on used mediums - a sitting duck.
The Red Bull took the lead instantly at the restart, with Hamilton dropping from first to fourth in the last 12 laps.
"It has been such a rollercoaster ride this year," said Hamilton. "This was such a good race, the car was feeling better than it has felt all year long.
"[In qualifying], up until the last corner where the yellow flag was, I was up 0.7secs on everyone, so we had pace. The car was different to how it has been all year long.
"I had made it up to second, I had that hard tyre on and was catching them and thinking 'Wow! We might be fighting for a win here, potentially a one-two'.
"When the safety cars and all that came through, emotions were all over because I knew I had lost it. Even before the restart, I knew everyone was on the soft tyre behind me, I knew there was no way I was going to hold them behind me."
Mercedes 'finally working'
Hamilton shouted on team radio: "I can't believe you guys f***ing screwed me, man. I can't tell you how p***ed I am right now."
But after calming himself down post-race, Hamilton apologised for his rage.
"I don't apologise for my passion," he said. "It is just how I am made and I don't always get it right.
"I am sorry to my team for what I said because it was just in the heat of the moment.
"I want to look at the glass half-full. We have got so many positives to take from this weekend. We got fourth in the end but the car felt great.
"If the car feels like it did in the other races, we are going to be fighting for a win. The pit stops were great, these are the fastest stops the team have done all year.
"I was so geed up from that. The guys were on it. We have just got to keep looking forward."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Audi agree STAR driver contract as Mercedes driver tipped for new F1 seat THIS season - GPFans F1 Recap
- 3 hours ago
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
- Yesterday 22:57
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
- Yesterday 21:57
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- Yesterday 17:57
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- Yesterday 20:57
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
Mercedes chief lifts lid on Hamilton qualifying struggle
Zandvoort to be EXTENDED in 2024 amid rising success of the Dutch Grand Prix
Verstappen on course for ANOTHER record as Russell suffers worst Mercedes result ever
A-list celebrity photo with Sky Sports F1 pundit gets ROYAL approval
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860