Lewis Hamilton narrowly missed out on a podium at the Dutch Grand Prix after a late charge on George Russell ended with the Ferrari driver taking fourth at Zandvoort.
“Overall, it was a solid race and despite the qualifying positions, we had good pace today and brought some important points home for the team,” Hamilton said. “It wasn’t an easy race but we were competitive.”
Hamilton found himself in contention for third during the closing stages after Mercedes instructed Russell to allow championship leader Kimi Antonelli through into second.
Russell was left defending on significantly older tyres, opening the door for Hamilton, who had stopped for fresh rubber under a Virtual Safety Car and quickly closed on the Mercedes.
Just as Hamilton appeared poised to challenge for the final podium position, another Virtual Safety Car was called to allow debris to be cleared from the circuit, providing Russell with valuable respite.
Hamilton mounted one final challenge after racing resumed but could not find a way through, leaving Russell to secure third and the seven-time world champion to finish fourth.
There had been frustration earlier in Hamilton’s race when Ferrari delayed swapping its drivers while Charles Leclerc was running ahead of him.
Hamilton later became part of the decisive battle for victory when Kimi Antonelli attempted to pass the Ferrari at the start of lap 54. Lando Norris seized the opportunity, going around the outside of Antonelli before passing Hamilton later in the lap on his way to victory.
Norris ultimately won by 11 seconds from Antonelli, with Russell third, Hamilton fourth and Leclerc fifth.
The result also had consequences for Hamilton’s championship position. Russell moved ahead of him into second in the drivers’ standings on countback, with the pair now level on points. Antonelli extended his championship advantage to 59 points.
“While it was a good race, we know we need to do more to make sure we’re maximising every opportunity to stay in the championship fight,” Hamilton added. “We’ll go away over the next couple of weeks and see what else we can do to make sure we come back from Monza strong and ready.”
For Ferrari, Hamilton’s fourth and Leclerc’s fifth were not enough to prevent Mercedes extending its Constructors’ Championship advantage over the Scuderia to 87 points.
