Lewis Hamilton Dutch GP disaster sparks Italian media criticism

Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton has come in for criticism from the Italian media once again after another disastrous outing at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The race in the Netherlands marked F1's return following the summer break, but unfortunately did not bring about a change in Hamilton's fortunes amid his tumultuous first season at Ferrari.

On lap 23 of the race, Hamilton ran wide at turn three, getting onto the damp patches with light rain falling and crashing into the barriers as a result, ending his race early.

It capped off what had been another pretty average weekend for the seven-time champion, after qualifying down in seventh once again behind team-mate Charles Leclerc and failing to make up any places in the opening 22 laps.

Italian media rate Hamilton's performance

Throughout Hamilton's torrid first season at Ferrari, the 40-year-old has been criticized by Italian media for his performances, and the Dutch GP at Zandvoort was no different.

In their post-race ratings piece, Gazzetta only gave Hamilton a 5 out of 10, with his report card reading: "Difficulties in qualifying, starting from the fourth row. He started seventh and remained seventh. Until the mistake, the crash: really not like him."

That was in stark contrast to the glowing report they gave to Leclerc, giving him a 6.5 but stating that he may have been on for 10/10 had the late crash with Antonelli not have ruined his race.

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Ferrari's woes continued

Zero points scored between Ferrari's two drivers in Zandvoort means that Mercedes have closed to within just 12 points in the constructors' championship in the battle for second place.

Ferrari are, however, a mammoth 324 points behind McLaren, who are cruising to the trophy. That is despite Ferrari having finished just 11 points behind the papaya team in 2024 and having added a seven-time world champion to their ranks.

The decision to replace Carlos Sainz with Hamilton has regularly been questioned throughout 2025 due to Hamilton's poor form and negative demeanour, but the fact is that Ferrari have got much bigger problems on their plate than their driver lineup.

They haven't looked like winning a single race so far in 2025, and with new regulations set to sweep into the sport in 2026, they are looking to be well behind in their goal to return to championship-winning ways.

Hamilton's crash would have further damaged his confidence heading into the latter stages of the season, and he will hope to prove that he can get closer to Leclerc in the upcoming races.

In some positive news for Ferrari, the next race does take place in front of their adoring home fans at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. However, the pressure from the fans and Italian media is known to be turned up a notch at the Italian GP, and all eyes will be focusing on Hamilton's performance.

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