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The 2022 F1 Dutch Grand Prix has been a roller-coaster for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. A virtual safety car followed by a full safety car gave Hamilton a very good chance at winning the race, but a strategic mistake by the team snatched the chances of having a podium too.
Lewis Hamilton started on P4, behind Carlos Sainz, and had a fairly even race going on. Later in the race, however, Valtteri Bottas' DNF called out the safety car, and since the team did not change tires on Hamilton's car, he was the only driver at the top to not be on the soft tires, which made him lose potential points.
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The Briton went on team radio, saying:
“That was the biggest f**k up.”
After Bottas had stopped right next to the pit wall, the safety car had to go through the pitlane, which saw almost all of the drivers stopping to get on a fresh set of soft. George Russell was sent on soft tires, which made it easy for him to get ahead of his teammate. Meanwhile, Hamilton, who was joyful on the radio just a couple of laps previously, could be heard how furious he had now turned.
He then went on to say:
“I can’t believe you screwed me like that. I can’t describe how pissed I am.”
Lewis Hamilton still to clench a victory in 2022 F1 season
Ever since he has been in the sport, Lewis Hamilton has managed to win a race every single season. As the season has passed, however, the chances for a Mercedes victory still seem far away. Today's race could have seen them win, but the safety car turned it around into the hands of Max Verstappen.
The final few laps (under the safety car) saw familiar proximity between Hamilton and Verstappen. Right after the green flag was waved, however, Verstappen passed him like a flying jet and soon had a 2-second lead over the Briton. The race turned out to be a disappointment for Mercedes fans, but at the same time, the Oranje Army got what they expected. Verstappen and Red Bull now have a massive lead over their rivals, and Ferrari have made up a 30-point gap between themselves and Mercedes.
