Ferrari haven’t fixed one fundamental problem after hearing Charles Leclerc’s radio before Dutch Grand Prix crash

Follow us on Google Discover

Ferrari suffered a disastrous weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton crashed out of the race.

The Maranello outfit had been hoping for an upturn in form after the summer break at Zandvoort. Ferrari endured a frustrating first half of the season, with the Hungarian GP summing up their woes as Leclerc dropped back from pole position while Hamilton finished a miserable P12.

Leclerc and Hamilton qualified P5 and P7 respectively for the Dutch Grand Prix. The pair were outqualified by the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar, who managed an impressive fourth.

Leclerc and Hamilton had differing reactions to qualifying, as the former was disappointed with his result, while the latter was surprisingly positive. However, the duo’s feelings after the race were certainly the same as they both crashed out at turn four.

Hamilton had a ‘very unusual’ crash on lap 23 as he hit the wet line on the outside and lost the rear end, slamming into the wall. Leclerc had gone into the pits as his teammate crashed, with the subsequent safety car preventing him from gaining an advantage over the field.

Ferrari still have not fixed radio communication problems after they ignored Charles Leclerc before Dutch GP crash

The Monegasque driver held on to P5 until he was called into the pits for soft tyres. He came back onto the circuit in battle with Kimi Antonelli, when the Mercedes driver clipped Leclerc’s rear tyre and sent him spinning into the wall and out of the race.

Antonelli was seen apologising to Leclerc in the paddock after the race. But as the Ferrari driver’s radio showed before the incident, it could have been avoided.

The 27-year-old had looked to stay out on the hard tyre, stating that they felt good in the unpredictable conditions. Race engineer Bryan Bozzi came over the radio to say: “Do you mean to stay out?” to which Leclerc replied: “Yeah let‘s stay out, let‘s try.”

Despite the Ferrari star’s wishes, Bozzi told him to: “Box, Charles, box, we want to try to cover Antonelli.” He came out into the path of the Italian before crashing a couple of corners later.

Radio communication has been a huge problem for Ferrari all season. Hamilton has struggled with Riccardo Adami to establish an effective way of working since the start of the season, leading to missed opportunities and frustration.

Leclerc was furious with Ferrari in Budapest as they did not listen to his calls during the race, ultimately costing him a podium. Clearly, they have not fixed this fundamental problem, which continues to deny them points in 2025.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Charles Leclerc laments ‘hell’ weekend for Ferrari at the Dutch Grand Prix

Leclerc had a foul-mouthed rant after Hamilton’s crash, cursing his rotten luck as he failed to make gains from pitting. Ferrari leave Zandvoort with no points, their first double DNF since last year’s Canadian GP.

The 27-year-old was left furious after the race when speaking in the media pen as Ferrari slip 324 points behind McLaren in the standings.

He told Canal+: “It was hell this weekend, from FP1 to the race. It was better in the race in terms of performance. It’s very complicated to drive, so you had to be ultra aggressive, which I was with Russell at the start, and another time.”

Ferrari will be desperate to improve their form next weekend at the Italian GP in front of their home crowd. The Tifosi will certainly cheer on Leclerc and Hamilton as they hope for another magical result like last season’s sensational triumph.