Hamilton’s Ferrari reset hits the wall at Zandvoort — and a Monza grid drop rubs salt in
Lewis Hamilton talked tough on Sunday morning, then left Zandvoort with a bent Ferrari, zero points and a penalty that’ll bite hard at Monza. Ferrari’s Dutch Grand Prix was meant to be a two-car pincer on McLaren; instead, both SF-25s found the Turn 3 banking and Ferrari’s most experienced recruit collected a five-place grid drop for the next round.
The day began with reasonable optimism. Sixth and seventh on the grid against a McLaren lockout wasn’t ideal, but Hamilton was bullish: play the strategy right, beat them on brains if not on brute pace. That theory lasted until the rain came and the banked third corner turned treacherous. Hamilton’s Ferrari snapped and slid into the barrier. Later, Charles Leclerc also ended up in the same wall. The double hit erased any chance of a damage-limitation afternoon.
Then came the sting from the stewards. Post-race, the FIA confirmed Hamilton hadn’t sufficiently slowed for double-waved yellows during his pre-race installation laps into the pit lane, triggering a five-place grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix. Even if he sticks the car on pole at Monza, he won’t start from P1.
It’s a rough way to go into Ferrari’s home race, especially for a driver still hunting his first podium in red. Before the summer break, Hamilton sounded downbeat enough to describe himself as “useless.” This time, the mood music’s different. In a message to fans, he called the result tough to swallow but stressed that the team’s changes are taking hold, that the approach is improving, and that he’ll leave “no stone unturned” to make up the lost ground. He also circled Monza with purpose: the Tifosi will be waiting.
There were flickers amid the gloom. Sunday’s pace, before the slide, wasn’t dismal. Ferrari had found a better balance through practice, and Hamilton’s confidence on the radio suggested a car he could lean on. But that means little when the scoreboard reads DNF and the calendar says Monza next — a weekend that always compresses pressure into every session, every out-lap, every tow. The grid drop ramps that up further. Ferrari will need a clean Friday to set their run plans, a tidy Saturday to survive Q1-Q2 traffic roulette, and an even tidier Sunday to turn whatever’s left into points.
Zandvoort also provided a reminder of how unforgiving this season’s midfield-meets-frontfield chaos can be. When it rains and the pack concertinas, reputations count for less than track position and instincts. Hamilton’s misstep was costly — doubly so with the penalty — but he wasn’t the only one tripped by the camber and the conditions.
There was at least one smile from the seven-time champion: Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar stood on an F1 podium for the first time, and Hamilton made a point of congratulating him publicly. It was a graceful nod on a day that didn’t give him much to celebrate.
Ferrari arrives at Monza having promised a post-break uplift — and in places, it’s there. The next step is converting it into results under the most intense spotlight of the year. Hamilton knows the script by heart: qualify as high as possible, swallow the drop, and race forward with a car that lets him attack. The rest will be decided by execution, timing, and whether the SF-25 behaves when it matters most.
The margin for error? It was small before. After Zandvoort, it’s microscopic.
