Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton
Credit: Reuters Photo
Zandvoort, Netherlands: Lewis Hamilton suffered his first race retirement with Ferrari after the seven-times world champion crashed out of the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton was in seventh place when he lost control of his car in the middle of the banked turn three on lap 23 and slid into the barriers, triggering a safety car deployment at Zandvoort.
"I'm so sorry guys," the Briton radioed to his team after confirming he was unhurt.
Minutes earlier he had suggested pitting to try and get ahead of Mercedes' George Russell but the safety car period allowed all the leaders to come in and change tyres without losing time.
Lando Norris, running second for champions McLaren, asked his race engineer Will Joseph whether Hamilton's crash was caused by the white line becoming slippery with some light rainfall.
On being told it was, Norris said that was 'race-ending' information and he should have been informed about the risk earlier.
The crash meant Hamilton has now not scored for two races in a row, after finishing 12th in Hungary when he had described himself as useless.
Sunday was his 15th race for the Italian team he joined from Mercedes in January, and the winner of a record 105 races has yet to stand on the podium for them.
The 40-year-old and his teammate Charles Leclerc were both disqualified in the Chinese Grand Prix respectively for excessive skid plate wear and having an underweight car.