Lewis Hamilton’s heat of the moment frustration during the Dutch Grand Prix may have been understandable, but according to former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, the Ferrari driver did himself no favours by airing it so forcefully over team radio.
Hamilton spent much of the race pushing Ferrari to reconsider its strategy and allow him through Charles Leclerc, who was running a different plan.
When Ferrari eventually brought Leclerc in, Hamilton felt the decision had come too late. Later, as the team kept him circulating on ageing hard tyres, his exasperation boiled over into a sarcastic question about whether he was being used as a “guinea pig”.
For Steiner, the radio exchanges exposed two problems: Ferrari had failed to establish clear expectations with its drivers before the race, while Hamilton’s increasingly pointed complaints risked making the situation even more difficult.
Ferrari lacked Mercedes’ preparation
Steiner believes Mercedes provided a useful contrast in how to handle potentially explosive team-order situations, arguing that the Brackley squad had done the groundwork before its drivers even arrived at the circuit.
"Obviously, it was not as well organised as the silver people. They were well organised," Steiner explained during an appearance on The Red Flags Podcast.
"They had the discussion before and obviously that discussion was not as heated as that one after for Ferrari because when you go into the drivers before the race and tell them what is what."
For Steiner, the problem was not necessarily Ferrari’s willingness to impose team orders, but the lack of sufficiently detailed preparation for what might happen once the race unfolded.
"I think that one was not done in the detail Mercedes stated, and that caused what happened."
That left Ferrari attempting to manage a volatile situation in real time, with Hamilton becoming increasingly vocal as he tried to gain an advantage over his teammate.
Steiner takes aim at Hamilton’s radio outbursts
Yet Steiner believes Ferrari cannot shoulder all the blame.
Hamilton’s frustrations may have reflected a driver desperately trying to maximise his result, but the former Haas boss argues that repeatedly criticising the team over the radio can create an entirely different impression inside the cockpit and on the pit wall.
"I don't think Lewis helped himself being so critical because when you're sitting on the pitwall and you hear that, it's like, 'Oh this guy's actually trying to vouch too much for himself. He doesn't see the team anymore here.'"
Steiner believes Hamilton could have made precisely the same point without turning the radio into a running indictment of Ferrari’s decision-making.
"You could say, 'Hey, would it not be better if he lets me pass, I'm faster,' instead of saying, 'Oh you made me lose time here.'"
Hamilton subsequently recognised that his frustration had spilled over, admitting on social media that some of his comments were not his finest moment.
"I’ve listened back to some of my radio and TV comments. In the heat of the moment, frustration can come out, especially when you care as deeply as I do," he posted on Instagram.
"But that wasn’t the best version of me. I take responsibility for that, and I’ll be better. That passion comes from believing in this team, the people in it, and what we’re building together. The direction is clear. The belief is there. And the fight is absolutely still on."
Read also: Smedley tells Ferrari to stop playing fair and ‘back Hamilton’For Ferrari, the Dutch Grand Prix therefore offered an uncomfortable lesson.
Team orders are never merely about issuing instructions; they are about making sure the drivers understand the rules before the pressure cooker of a Grand Prix begins.
And if Ferrari wants to avoid another radio storm, Steiner’s message is blunt: sort out the conversation before the lights go out – and give the drivers less reason to have it over the airwaves.
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Steiner on Hamilton radio fury: ‘He didn’t help himself’ F1i.com.
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