Ferrari reveal key Lewis Hamilton factor after Dutch GP shock

Ferrari has detailed Lewis Hamilton played a critical role in helping Ferrari recover from a slow start to the Dutch Grand Prix event.

The Italian squad endured a difficult opening day of running last time out at Zandvoort, ending FP1 and FP2 well down on the times logged by pace-setters McLaren.

Charles Leclerc and Hamilton recovered to finish qualifying in sixth and seventh, before a disastrous Sunday saw both cars retire from the grand prix.

While it was far from the result Ferrari desired, Vasseur commended the team for how it bounced back from Friday.

“Honestly, we had the worst Friday of the last three years,” Vasseur told media including RacingNews365.

“If you have a look on the pace of Friday, it was very, very difficult. Nothing worked at all.

“Thanks to the job done by the engineers, but also by the drivers, because they were very cooperative, they were pushing everybody in the right way.

“It was a very collaborative Friday evening, and we had a very good recovery on Saturday.

“It was not enough to fight with Mercedes, but we are not far away. [During the race] we were in a good place, in good shape.”

Hamilton's race ended at Turn 3 when a mistake saw him spin into the barriers. Leclerc's event concluded at the same corner later in the race after he was hit by Kimi Antonelli.

Placing the painful result to one side, Vasseur hailed the drivers for their input into ensuring the team was able to unlock more potential from the car.

“I think it’s also thanks to the job done by Lewis over the weekend and by Charles,” he said.

“They are part of the team within that moment, and the recovery was the good part of the weekend.

“The pace from Lewis was a good one, he was stuck behind Russell, but he did the job.

“He lost the car, okay, but overall on the weekend, I think the contribution of Lewis was very good.”