The 2023 Dutch Grand Prix was one of the most chaotic races of recent times with quickly changing weather conditions catching out both drivers and teams alike. And for Lewis Hamilton, it was a more extreme experience than others.
His weekend had started on a good note with Mercedes showing encouraging pace on Friday. However, come qualifying day on Saturday, things turned upside down for him as he got eliminated in Q2 with a starting position of P13 for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
There was already a bit of rain before the race, but it got clear as the start time approached. However, it started raining again on the first lap, forcing some drivers to pit while others stayed out. Hamilton was amongst the ones who decided to stay out and it cost him badly. By the time he went on the inters, he was last in P20.
His day had gone from bad to worse within a matter of five laps. However, it eventually turned out to be a great recovery drive from the seven-time champion as he climbed his way back up to finish sixth.
During the post-race interviews, Hamilton seemed extremely satisfied and happy with his result. He opened up about how he felt proud for not giving up when things were looking bad, saying;
“I think today was a great example of just – never give up, if at first you fall or you stumble, just get back up and keep trying. At least in the beginning, I ended up last at one point, and that was definitely frustrating. But I just kept my head down, I kept pushing. Had some great manoeuvres I think.”
zandvoort, last time around ~
“today was a great example of just – never give up” #F1 || #DutchGP
pic.twitter.com/L75Vt2rj3b https://t.co/MJWJqsGoGF
— sim (@sim3744) August 20, 2024
It was one of Hamilton’s wet weather masterclasses in some of the most treacherous track conditions.
Hamilton thought he could have overtaken Sainz for P5 with DRS
Being one of only two drivers to start the race on the Mediums (everyone else was on Softs), the Briton had to gamble by staying out and going long when rain first hit, with the hope that it would go away soon. However, this dropped him to the back of the grid.
He then again had to stop on lap 11 for a set of soft tires with more rain predicted to hit the track soon. At the end of the Safety Car period on lap 21, which was brought out due to Logan Sargeant’s crash, Hamilton found himself in 12th behind Norris with another set of Softs waiting for him.
By the 40-lap mark, Hamilton had climbed his way into the top 10 and then got to P8 by lap 57. However, the rain came back heavily in the closing stages of the race, making it difficult for drivers to keep the cars on the track even with the Intermediate tires.
On lap 65, Zhou Guanyu’s crash brought out the Red Flag, with just seven laps remaining in the race. In the last stint, Hamilton was able to climb up to P6.
He almost also overtook the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, who crossed the line just seven-tenths ahead of the Briton. After the race, Hamilton admitted that he could have had the Spaniard across the line if he had the assistance of the DRS.
