What Ferrari actually meant to do when Lewis Hamilton felt like a "guinea pig"

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has explained the reasons behind Lewis Hamilton's radio comments during the challenging Dutch Grand Prix. Hamilton finished in fourth place, while his teammate Charles Leclerc ended up fifth. The key issues arose when Hamilton tried to overtake Leclerc but struggled due to the tight layout of Zandvoort.

Hamilton began requesting team orders, which were not given, allowing McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to extend their lead. Hamilton became frustrated, sarcastically telling his team, "Great way of wasting time, guys, good job!"

Initially, Hamilton was expected to come in for fresh tires after a pit stop, but Ferrari opted to keep him out for an extended period - 30 laps longer than planned. This decision led to Hamilton feeling like a "guinea pig" as he was left in the dark about the team's strategy. Vasseur defended the decision, stating that they wanted to keep Hamilton on track until the end to avoid disclosing the strategy to competitors.

The lack of clear communication about the compound change and the strategy led to confusion among the drivers, particularly Hamilton, who felt frustrated about the compound choice. Vasseur acknowledged the poor execution and admitted that the team could have done better. The Dutch Grand Prix leaves Ferrari 87 points behind leader Mercedes and 75 points ahead of third-placed McLaren, with 11 races remaining in the season.