Hamilton to echo Verstappen approach ahead of Dutch GP qualifying

While his teammate finished second, putting George Russell under pressure in the closing stages and showing strong pace on the soft tyres, the seven-time world champion found himself stuck in traffic behind Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen and had to settle for seventh place.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton admitted that the same issues he had encountered in Sprint qualifying persisted during the race. The seven-time world champion also confirmed that Ferrari will make changes to the car ahead of qualifying, hoping to return closer to the level of performance shown in FP1 and put himself in a position to fight at the front.

Hamilton has been cleared by the FIA following an investigation into an incident before the start of the Sprint race at Zandvoort. The Ferrari driver, who went on to finish seventh behind Max Verstappen, came to a halt before reaching his position on the grid, prompting the stewards to investigate whether the correct procedure had been followed.

The stewards determined that heavy congestion at the back of the grid had prevented Hamilton from continuing safely. His decision to stop as close to the grid as possible was therefore deemed appropriate, with no further action taken against the seven-time world champion.

Verstappen was also investigated over the same infringement, along with Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll. The four-time world champion and the other two drivers received the same outcome as Hamilton, with the stewards opting not to impose any penalties.