Lewis Hamilton’s hands during Dutch Grand Prix spin revealed a crucial issue with his Ferrari

Follow us on Google Discover

Ferrari would have hoped that, despite the mandated shutdown over the summer break, the Dutch Grand Prix would give them the opportunity to close the gap to McLaren in terms of their car’s performance.

However, with Lando Norris topping both sessions on Friday at the Dutch Grand Prix, that doesn’t appear to have happened.

Charles Leclerc called it the ‘worst Friday of the season’ during his official pre-session press conference, and Lewis Hamilton was one of several drivers who spun during both sessions.

There were several red flags, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon and Max Verstappen all getting stuck in the gravel, and Lance Stroll having a huge crash in FP2 at the same spot where Daniel Ricciardo injured his wrist in 2023.

Jacques Villeneuve has been left worried by Hamilton’s recent comments about his ability and his Formula 1 future.

The seven-time world champion needs a strong weekend and to make clear steps forward ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Karun Chandhok and David Croft were covering FP2, and the former HRT driver spotted something on Hamilton’s onboard camera after his spin that will fill team principal Fred Vasseur with dread.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Lewis Hamilton’s Dutch Grand Prix spin highlights Ferrari’s worrying understeer issues

Watching Hamilton attempt a flying lap during FP2 on Friday, Chandhok commented on Sky Sports F1: “Look at how low the rear of the car was there through turn seven, the rear of the car, really, really buried in the ground.”

Hamilton then spun out of turn nine, and assessing why he spun, Chandhok continued: “It’s not about the position he’ll end up in after the session, it’s the fact that he’s missed that reference.

“He turns into nine, watch the rear, he’s slightly out of line already at the apex, then he’s on the dusty part of the track, off the racing line, and then drops the rear left into the grass.”

The angle then switched to Hamilton’s onboard camera, and Chandhok explained: “Watch his hands as he starts to turn in. There, understeer, understeer, understeer, then he gets on the dust, and that snaps the rear around to put him off line and on the grass.

“At that point, he’s tried to hang onto it, but as soon as the rear left [wheel] touches the grass, he’s going around.”

Croft asked if that meant the car had too much rear downforce, and the former Lotus driver explained: “I think it’s just Lewis trying to carry more speed through the apex of turn nine, where you saw him pushing the front.

“He’s just trying to get the front to bite, [but] it’s not biting, it’s just understeering.

“There’s a point in every driver’s mind, it’s the bailout point, where you can see yourself going towards the grass, and you need to start bailing out of it. He tried to stick with it, he ended up off-line, ended up on the grass and around she went.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Figures in the F1 paddock are questioning if Lewis Hamilton’s ‘magic’ has disappeared

Hamilton finished sixth in FP2, and though his best time was quicker than Leclerc’s efforts, he was still three-tenths behind Max Verstappen and nearly a second slower than Norris.

As Chandhok noted, Hamilton was pushing so hard on his flying lap that it contributed to the error that saw him spin, but the car still looks very difficult to drive.

It’s also interesting that Chandhok noted how low the rear of Hamilton’s Ferrari was running, and considering the plank wear issues Ferrari have had this season, Vasseur’s team might have been testing what height they can run the car at.

People in F1 are beginning to question Hamilton’s ‘magic’ and whether he’s still got the ability to produce otherworldly performances when needed.

It’s clear that he’s not being helped by the SF-25, and Leclerc’s previous experience racing for Ferrari has put Hamilton on the back foot.

But the gap to his teammate needs to close soon, especially in 2026 if he wants to win an eighth drivers’ championship.