Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believes Lewis Hamilton can draw plenty of positives from the Dutch Grand Prix, even though his race ended in a crash at Zandvoort.
Lewis Hamilton arrived at the weekend in low spirits, keeping a low profile during Ferrari’s pre-event press conference. His mood matched the team’s struggles on Friday, which Vasseur labelled as Ferrari’s “worst in three years.” Both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished outside the top 10 in the opening practice, over 1.5 seconds off Lando Norris’ pace-setting McLaren.
Overnight, Ferrari made what Leclerc called “one of the biggest setup changes of the season,” and the turnaround was immediate. In qualifying, Hamilton was just 0.050s behind Leclerc in Q3, showing a sharp improvement compared to earlier in the season when he often lagged several tenths behind.
Lewis Hamilton credited his progress to small but crucial adjustments.
“I’m always searching for more everywhere—tyre pressure, blanket temperatures, ride height front and rear. The difference from where I was earlier this season is clear,” he explained.
On Sunday, Hamilton was fighting for sixth behind George Russell when light rain arrived. A slight error at Turn 3 saw him clip the white line and lose control, sending his Ferrari into the barrier and ending his race prematurely.
Despite the setback, data showed Ferrari was stronger in the technical Turns 9 and 10 than the drivers suggested, with Hamilton even gaining time on Oscar Piastri’s pole lap through that section.
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For Vasseur, the bigger picture mattered most.
“Lewis can take a lot from the weekend,” he said. “From where we started on Friday to where we qualified shows the team’s progress.”
Ferrari leaves Zandvoort with unfinished business, but with signs of growing synergy between Hamilton and the team.
