Lewis Hamilton reacts to securing his first top 10 start in three races for the F1 Dutch GP

Lewis Hamilton made it into Q3 for the first time since qualifying fourth for the Austrian Grand Prix. The Brit qualified P7, ending his drought of top-10 qualifications, as he continues with his never-give-up attitude, which could be interpreted from his post-qualifying radio chatter.

Hamilton arrived at Maranello with high hopes of fighting for race wins and taking on the challenge of bringing home the championship glory to Maranello. However, with McLaren having the upper hand over the field, the 40-year-old soon revisited his initial targets, as he had been unable to finish on the podium before the summer break.

Moreover, in the last two race weekends, he didn't even make it into Q3 and finished the Hungarian GP outside the points. This piled up the pressure on the Briton heading into the Dutch GP weekend.

But, despite such concerns, Hamilton was the faster of the scarlet duo and was only pipped out by Charles Leclerc in Q3. Admitting that he struggled with the car, but would continue to push on, he said over the radio:

"We struggled today, guys. But we continue to push."

Hamilton would be aiming to score some points by the end of the 72-lap race, to build on his 109-point tally.

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Lewis Hamilton has arrived at the Dutch GP with a different mindset than the earlier part of 2025

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of the Netherlands race weekend - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton had urged Ferrari to replace him with another driver during the Hungarian GP weekend. Such statements had shaken the F1 sphere as the seven-time champion regarded himself "useless" for the prancing horses.

However, a three-week break from the hectic world of F1 helped the Briton change the mindset that he attacks the race weekends with. The 40-year-old shared ahead of the Dutch GP that he is motivated to continue with full determination and focus on his love for racing, as he said (via The Guardian):

"I feel determined and motivated to [move forward]. We’re going to work hard, keep our heads down, try to change a few things in our approach and start to enjoy ourselves. There’s been so much pressure in this first half of the season that’s not been the most enjoyable. So I think just remembering that we love what we do. We’re all in this together and yeah, we’re trying to have some fun."

On the other hand, Ferrari was not among the front-runners during qualifying for the Dutch GP. The Scuderia struggled in the early part of the race weekend and has been nowhere near its Hungarian GP pace.

Thus, a P6 start for Charles Leclerc and a P7 start for Lewis Hamilton would help the squad engage in damage limitation, as its main rival, Mercedes, only fields a single car in the top-10 for the Dutch GP.