Lewis Hamilton received ominous Ferrari radio warning before ‘uncontrollable’ Dutch Grand Prix crash

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When the camera dramatically cut to the first crash of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, very few people would have expected it to be Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari strewn across the exit of turn 3.

Lewis Hamilton was having a decent return to action after the summer break, even if he was outqualified once again by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton was far more positive than Leclerc heading into the Dutch Grand Prix after qualifying, but both of their races ended in disaster.

The Monegasque driver was taken out by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with Leclerc furious over the team radio earlier in the race over a strategic decision.

He had been brought into the pits on lap 23, but just moments later, disaster struck for Hamilton.

He had made contact with the barriers on the outside of turn 3 amid the Dutch drizzle, and several radio messages, alongside his onboard camera and telemetry, might explain exactly why the seven-time world champion made such an uncharacteristic error.

READ MORE: Best moments of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 career including first pole, podium, win, title and more

Lewis Hamilton told to ‘focus on the exit’ of the corner he crashed at during the Dutch Grand Prix

A report from Formula Uno Analisi Tecnica has provided more details on Hamilton’s crash and studied both his onboard footage and Ferrari’s telemetry.

Heading towards his first pit stop, Hamilton and Leclerc were both asked to manage their approach going into turns 8 and 9.

It was Ferrari’s weakest point across the weekend, with both drivers losing four-tenths to Max Verstappen alone at that section of the circuit.

Hamilton’s brakes were getting hot, and he needed to manage his tyres as he was coming to the end of his stint, especially with the track losing grip due to the worsening conditions, saying on the radio three laps before his crash, ‘rears are definitely wearing quite a lot.’

Ferrari noticed in Hamilton’s telemetry data that Hamilton was experiencing a lot of oversteer, something he was complaining about on the radio as well, stating on lap 14, ‘car is a bit oversteery.’

Hamilton’s onboard footage showed how much he was managing the rear of the car, attempting to maintain control while also pushing at the end of his stint to try and overcut George Russell.

His race engineer Riccardo Adami then gave him a specific instruction on the team radio to ‘focus on the exit of turn 3’ on lap seven to try and maximise his exit speed on the straight all the way down to turn 8, later being told he was losing one tenth at this corner.

On the lap Hamilton crashed, he approached turn 3 marginally higher up the banking than on previous laps. Not only this, but his approach was three to four km/h quicker than on the previous lap.

Hamilton’s telemetry suggests he didn’t change his accelerator inputs, meaning that simply braking a fraction later and being centimetres closer to the barrier on entry caused his crash.

If Hamilton’s tyres had been newer, they may have had the grip to recover, but once he started drifting further up the banking, he was dealing with tarmac with less rubber and more rain, which turned out to be an ‘uncontrollable’ combination for the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton’s countersteering as seen on his onboard camera only pushed him further towards the wall, and although he nearly avoided contact with the tyre barrier, he caught the end of the structure, bringing out the safety car.

READ MORE: Every time Lewis Hamilton has crashed out of a Formula 1 race including infamous Nico Rosberg collision

Lewis Hamilton caught completely by ‘surprise’ during Dutch Grand Prix crash

Speaking to the press after his collision, Hamilton simply said: “It took me by complete surprise what happened. I lost the rear up the bank, and that was it.

“Apart from that, it’s been a really solid weekend. I feel like I made progress, just overall, and my approach and everything. To come away with nothing is definitely painful.”

Things got even worse for Hamilton when he discovered he would go into Ferrari’s home race at the Italian Grand Prix with a five-place grid penalty.

Damon Hill reacted to Hamilton’s penalty, and the seven-time world champion needs a strong result at Monza to keep the Tifosi onside.

Hamilton drove the fastest lap of all time at Ferrari’s home race earlier in his career; he needs to replicate that form on Sunday to prove he’s the right man for the job in Fred Vasseur’s team.