> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mercedes contrast worsens Hamilton's team order frustration - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mercedes-contrast-worsens-lewis-hamilton-team-order-frustration/ - Published: 2026-08-23T17:59:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-23T17:59:00.000Z - Description: Lewis Hamilton criticised Ferrari's execution of the race relative to how Mercedes played its cards - Author: Valentin Khorounzhiy - Tags: Formula 1, #ferrari, #dutch-grand-prix, #secondary_feature_1 Ferrari's approach to Formula 1 team orders became a talking point again during and after the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with Lewis Hamilton criticising his team's execution of the race relative to how Mercedes played its cards. Hamilton's frustration boiled over during the second stint of the Zandvoort race, as he felt he was losing time behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc - who was on marginally older medium tyres versus Hamilton's hards. Once Hamilton raised the issue, Leclerc was called into the pits, but didn't comply at the first time of asking, and Hamilton grew increasingly exasperated. Once Leclerc did pit out of the way, he radioed: "Great way of losing time, guys, good job!" Team boss Fred Vasseur did not feel that moment was key to how Hamilton's race was playing out at the time, given the consideration was to keep him out there until the finish - and so the time loss in question would have been immaterial. But the virtual safety car giving Hamilton a 'discounted' pitstop changed the complexion of his race. The earlier two laps right behind Leclerc before he pitted appeared to cost Hamilton around 1.5-2s before he pitted, and that time loss was still firmly on his mind after the chequered flag - as he came up just short of picking off George Russell for third place. Hamilton repeatedly indicated that he felt that moment of delay behind his team-mate was the difference between third and fourth. He described the race as "definitely frustrating for me" and, while repeatedly making a point of lauding Ferrari's upgrades, repeatedly pointed to his former team Mercedes's handling of the George Russell-Kimi Antonelli swap as a disappointing contrast. "It is difficult, when you're looking ahead and you see the two Mercedes drivers - they get the call, and it's done, they execute straight away," he vented to F1 TV. "They let Kimi by and let him get on with the race. "And I was on a different strategy \[to Charles\] - and it's not the same here. And that's a little bit difficult - but we'll take it off-line. When I go back now, I'll speak to them about it." Leclerc, meanwhile, was hardly happy either. Ferrari never ordered a swap, but it did, as mentioned above, call him into the pits as an alternate solution to the situation. Leclerc was unconvinced by this strategy, which was the key factor in his dawdling over the order. He had sat behind Russell in that stint, and was perplexed to be called in two laps after Russell's own pitstop, believing it ran counter to the logic of building a tyre offset to the Mercedes driver. While he acknowledged after the race that he got unlucky with the subsequent virtual safety car timing, he continued to question that second pitstop after the race. "For me, it was very important to create a tyre delta to the Mercedes in order to come back strong at the end. We didn't quite do that, so we need to look at why," he said. "I was very surprised to box so early when we had done exactly what we wanted. George was pitting and so that was the time for us to do five, 10 laps longer to build a tyre delta and to come back at the end on George." When quizzed about Hamilton's frustrations, he said: "I had a very good first stint, I had to stop early to try and undercut the guys in front and that's a bit of a team game sometimes. You've got to put yourself a little bit at risk, especially in the first stint, for that. Lewis was very strong in the second stint, but it's the way it goes. "I think sometimes I'll be frustrated, sometimes Lewis will be frustrated, but it's the way it is." Leclerc also said "I don't think there was much debate" over his pit timing. "At first I was asked to stop and then towards the end of the lap I was asked to stay on track, which I did, and the lap later I was asked to stop." This, though, runs somewhat counter to the available evidence from his radio channel on F1 TV. **BB \[Bryan Bozzi, race engineer\]:** Box, Charles, box. **CL:** What do you mean box-box? Why stop two laps after Russell? **CL** \[25s later\]: Hello? **BB**: Yep, coming back to you. **BB** \[another pause\]: Charles, we want to box. *Leclerc finishes the lap without pitting* **BB:** So, box, Charles, box. Will be for hard. Plus two clicks. **CL:** Box. **BB:** Copy box. Plus two clicks. *Leclerc pits* The evidence is that Leclerc had enough time - though not a huge amount - to respond to that "we want to box" and thus played his role in Hamilton being held up. But he could've perhaps misheard that message or hoped for further clarification - and he acquiesced a lap later without further debate. What the situation has potentially exposed, however, is a different view altogether on Ferrari's current championship situation between its two drivers. "I'm here to win and I really believe that this team can win. We couldn't win this race - but to win championships you have to pick up every point," Hamilton told Sky F1\. He also made a very pointed reference in his session with the written media to something he shares with Antonelli - the status of being the team's leading driver in the points standings. But with Hamilton 59 points down on Antonelli and 28 up on Leclerc, there is currently no indication of Ferrari prioritising Hamilton's drivers' championship yield over Leclerc's - and certainly no sign of Leclerc trying to lend a helping hand at his own expense.