Qualifying Woes Cost Hamilton Top-Five Finish at Dutch Grand Prix Despite Stellar Recovery Drive

Lewis Hamilton lamented missed opportunities at Zandvoort, believing he would have secured a top-five finish if not for a disappointing qualifying session.

Lewis Hamilton believes that if he had secured a better starting position in the F1 Dutch Grand Prix, he could have comfortably finished within the top five.

The seven-time world champion faced an unexpected exit in the second qualifying session at Zandvoort, managing only the 12th quickest time. Adding to his troubles, he was handed a three-place grid penalty for obstructing Red Bull driver Sergio Perez during the first qualifying session.

Hamilton made an impressive comeback to finish in eighth place, calling his recovery drive "fun." At various points, he was the quickest driver on the circuit.

He explained to the media at Zandvoort, where Crash.net is present in the paddock, that he could have achieved a higher finish if he had qualified as expected and not encountered issues during qualifying.

“I believe I had the speed today to comfortably secure a spot in the top 5. If I had started in fourth position, I would have finished no lower than fourth.”

Hamilton, one of three drivers to begin the race on soft tires, capitalized on this choice to gain an early advantage. He later transitioned to hard tires and, taking advantage of a free pit stop, switched back to another set of soft tires.

The 39-year-old British driver was closing the gap on his teammate George Russell in the final moments of the race, but in the end, he finished in eighth place.

"We intended to execute a two-stop strategy and commenced the race on the soft tires, which performed excellently," Hamilton detailed. "During practice, the soft tires provided a superior feel compared to the medium tires."

"The performance of the hard tyre was quite satisfactory, but it was challenging to determine my strategy. I was on a two-stop plan, so I was trying to make the most of the tyre. However, I was uncertain if we might switch to a one-stop strategy instead."

"I experienced a slight lock-up, forcing me to stick to my original strategy. If I had opted for a one-stop approach, I might have handled it better and possibly finished one position higher."

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