"He’ll bang on the table"- Lewis Hamilton will be 'heated' about Mercedes' strategy at 2022 F1 Dutch GP, claims ex-teammate

Lewis Hamilton lost the P2 podium during the 2022 F1 Dutch Grand Prix after Mercedes failed to execute a better strategy for him. The Briton was understandably irate at his team and expressed his frustrations over team radio.

His former teammate Nico Rosberg, who was surprisingly in support of Hamilton throughout the weekend, explained why the latter was bashing all over the radio after the safety car ended. He said that the team was optimistic about Hamilton defending well enough to win the race, and hence he was kept out on the mediums. The strategy, however, did not work out well, which explained Hamilton's frustration.

Speaking to Sky Deutschland, the former Mercedes driver said:

“First he gets overtaken and loses the win, then his team-mate flies by. That’s not a good feeling, believe me! It’s really annoying. And for Lewis, one thing led to another. It was a really terrible experience for him. Of course you’re incredibly frustrated on the radio. That’s completely understandable. I guess he’ll get heated again behind closed doors. He’ll bang on the table a bit.”

Earlier, Valtteri Bottas' retirement brought out the safety car. The ensuing period saw everyone except Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez pit for new tires. Having taken on a new set of softs, Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton right after the restart without any difficulties.

Lewis Hamilton was then expected to finish P2, but his teammate George Russell was right behind him on new softs as well (he had made a call to pit during the safety car). In a dangerous attempt that could have seen both the drivers take each other out, Russell overtook Hamilton. This saw him drop down to P3. As if that wasn't enough for the seven-time world champion, Charles Leclerc, who had been closing up on him, took away the chances of another Hamilton podium with an easy move on the Briton.

---

Mercedes believed in Lewis Hamilton more than George Russell

While explaining the team's tactics that devastated the race for Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg claimed that George Russell wouldn't have been able to defend his position like Hamilton. With Max Verstappen hot on his tail, Rosberg felt it was prudent for Russell to switch to a fresher set of soft tires.

The German said:

“They decided to take the risk with Lewis, left him out to have a chance of winning, if you do that with George, he definitely wouldn’t win. That’s clear because he falls behind Max.”

Rosberg also explained Mercedes' strategic blunder, claiming it would have been best to let both drivers out on the same medium tires. In this case, Russell could have defended against Verstappen to potentially let Hamilton win the race. He said:

“So if you’re going to take a risk for the win, you have to do it properly and also leave George out so he blocks Max and gives Lewis an even better chance of winning, that’s what went a little bit wrong from my point of view.”

This strategy is not new to the sport as Red Bull were seen employing it during the 2021 F1 season. Mercedes are familiar with it, having utilized it with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Meanwhile, Hamilton has managed to score 158 points so far, putting him behind Carlos Sainz, while Russell is 30 points ahead of his teammate with 188 points. The start of the season may have been tough but Hamilton is now well acquainted with the W13.