Lewis Hamilton has apologised to his team for an expletive-ridden spat over the radio in the latter stages of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
Leading during a late Safety Car, Hamilton was left exposed when Mercedes pitted George Russell for soft compound tyres.
The pair had been running one-two at the time, with Russell offering a degree of protection against Max Verstappen in third.
As it stood, Hamilton took the restart and almost immediately lost out to the Red Bull driver into Tarzan, ultimately slipping to fourth by the chequered flag.
Hamilton was one of the few drivers on track on the medium compound tyre.
“I can’t believe you guys f***ing screwed me, man. I can’t tell you how pissed I am right now,” he complained over the radio.
Speaking post-race, he’d dialled back his anger and adopted a more optimistic attitude.
“I think the strategy in the car had been so good up until that point, the pit stops were fantastic,” he said.
“The guys were really, really on it, we are all on it and I really was hopeful that we were going to get a one-two together as a team.
“Especially after not a great year, an up and down year, we’ve not had a win since Brazil. So it was finally there, within our grasp but of course, then the Safety Car really didn’t help.
“I was just on the edge of breaking point with emotions and my apologies to the team because I don’t even remember what I said, I just lost it for a second.
“But I think they know that there is just so much passion and I want to look at it as a glass half full.
“We came here struggling from last race, we were fighting against the Red Bulls today, we were quicker than most at many points.
“Without the Safety Car, I think we’d have been challenging them for the win at the end on the one-stop [strategy] which I don’t think the others could do.
“So many great things to take from it, the car was finally working. If this can be the same in the future races, we’re going to be continuing to breathe down their necks and we’re going to get that win.”
Hamilton went on to suggest that improved pace on Saturday would likely have resulted in a stronger Sunday.
“Last race, we were miles away and we couldn’t even understand exactly why we could be so far away, 1.7 seconds or whatever it was,” he remarked.
“Then yesterday I was pole until the last corner, I was .07s up on Max. They are quicker on the straights so even if I’d got through the corner quicker than them, most likely would have just pipped me at the line but still, that’s a huge positive to take and then our race pace seems to be better or as good as everyone’s so.
“If we can just close that up, if we’d have finished the lap yesterday, we’d have been third or second perhaps and we would have been in a much different position in that race.
“I’m taking all these positives forwards.”
Formula 1 heads next to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix from Friday.
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