The latest Dutch Grand Prix proved to be one of the most enthralling race weekends of the 2023 Formula 1 season amid countless twists and turns throughout the race on Sunday. While the lead seemed rather unassailable, the remaining positions were practically there for the take, as a majority of the drivers, including Lewis Hamilton engaged in fierce battles all afternoon.
Unfortunately, neither the seven-time world champion nor his teammate George Russell was able to emulate Red Bull and Aston Martin’s near-accurate strategic calls. It all started on the very first lap when a brief spell of heavy rains turned the entire grid upside down. And Mercedes’ mere misinterpretation of the rain ruined the entire afternoon for Hamilton and Russell.
LAP 30/72
Chaos at the start! 😵#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/epA07zMTV5
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2023
Sergio Perez and several other drivers decided to pit at the end of lap 1 for a set of intermediate tires while the rest of the grid stayed out and pushed for another lap on slicks. The ones who pitted the earliest emerged as the winners while the ones who pitted the latest proved to be the biggest losers. Accordingly, the Mexican, who started the race from P7, cherished a massive 10-second lead at the end of lap 2.
Meanwhile, the Mercedes duo, having pitted at the end of lap 3, found themselves dwindling in the bottom half of the pack. Hence, Hamilton openly admitted that the Brackley outfit failed to capitalize on the changeable conditions and potentially let go of a race-winning opportunity.
Lewis Hamilton admits Dutch GP victory was possible after horrible lap 1 blunder
Hamilton bore the brunt of Mercedes’ poor calls during the early part of the race, as the Briton pulled off a series of sleek moves to work his way up the grid and see the chequered flag in P6. However, despite embracing a strong finish to the weekend, the Briton sounded rather disappointed that he couldn’t win the Grand Prix itself.
“When the rain came, we as a team made the wrong decision. It was the team’s call. We paid the price for that. We came out last, we were just chasing, I kept my head down,” he said according to Crash.Net. “It was a good example that when you call or stumble, just keep trying.
P6 in the Dutch Grand Prix for Lewis Hamilton.
Great recovery after running last after the first few laps 👏 pic.twitter.com/KWwWzlK3I9
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) August 27, 2023
“Every time I had to pit, I came out and kept chasing and chasing. I was really happy – I got past the McLaren, for example, which on this track is not so easy to do. I was quicker than Sainz at the end, I just needed to hit DRS. Today I had the pace, in the conditions and if we made the right call, to be challenging the top two. I think we would have been challenging Max, if I’m honest.
“Particularly when we got to the dry. Pace-wise, we weren’t terribly far off. Not saying we’d have beaten them,” Hamilton concluded. Overall, a Hamilton P2 was certainly there for the take, and all it needed was a smart call at the end of lap 1 from Mercedes. Unfortunately, the Brackley outfit failed to do so, as the wait for Hamilton’s first victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP continues.