Lewis Hamilton lost out to Max Verstappen in the battle for pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, and this proved costly. The Mercedes driver didn't beat the Dutchman off the line and was unable to close the gap throughout the race. The Brit also lost the lead in the World Championship.
After the first lap, it was always going to be a strategic race unless the safety car played a part. On the second stop, Hamilton came out of the pitlane into traffic meaning he couldn't push on his first lap.
"I think that wasn't our best strategy. But it was really hard out there. At the end of the day, they were just too quick. We'll work out how to improve it. We stopped too early. I then came out behind traffic, I don't know how they didn't see that. Congrats to Max and ooo they're quick," Hamilton said in a conversation with Sky Sports.
Strong Verstappen
"The reason it's difficult, was because I was within three seconds. The tyres were pretty good this weekend. I was flat out throughout, no tyre management. Trying to keep close as possible. I tell you, he was fast. He was on another level and I couldn't answer it," Hamilton added.