'Sometimes you just can't catch a break': Lewis Hamilton questions Ferrari's strategy

[p]The Briton, second in the championship, finished fourth on track but ended up fifth behind teammate [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leclerc-charles/KlCOSRub/"]Charles ‌Leclerc[/a] after a five-second penalty was added to his time for speeding in the pitlane.[/p][p]He had been ‌running in second place before the pitstop, taken during a virtual safety ‌period moments after McLaren's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/piastri-oscar/MqKAIeUf/"]Oscar Piastri[/a] had pulled over and retired with a gearbox ‌problem.[/p][p][b]"I definitely don't think we should have taken a stop. The call came ‌literally just before the pit lane entry and I didn't have time to debate it,"[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hamilton-lewis/tI5Vpe1h/"]Hamilton[/a], now 50 points behind Mercedes' championship leader [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/antonelli-andrea-kimi/ptGu0mT1/"]Kimi Antonelli[/a], told reporters at the Hungaroring.[/p][p][b]"You've got ‌to trust the decision that has been taken but, ⁠in hindsight, my tyres were totally fine. ‌I was probably going to lose out to Max ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Verstappen[/a]), but I think I could ​have kept third at least. And it just opened up the door to the penalty that I got at the end."[/b][/p][p]Red Bull's Verstappen finished ​second behind McLaren's winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/norris-lando/WSVABbVF/"]Lando Norris[/a] with Antonelli a close third. Both stayed out during the virtual safety car.[/p][embed guid="94d5e7a9-4c96-4000-887f-0eb6b6a0f834" url="https://x.com/GazzettaFerrari/status/2081406470692786194" social-type="twitter" /][h2]'Just can't catch a break' [/h2][p]Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur ⁠defended the strategy and said ​it would have been unfair to ask Leclerc to increase the gap to preserve Hamilton's position at the end.[/p][p]Hamilton, a record eight-time winner in Hungary, had arrived hoping to secure his first pole position since 2023 at a circuit that looked likely ‌to favour him and Ferrari.[/p][p]Instead, he missed out on pole by 0.012 of a second to Norris and was then demoted three places - the latest of a string of penalties that has come his way in recent races - for impeding Piastri, a big blow to his hopes at a track where overtaking is tricky.[/p][p][b]"Sometimes you just can't catch a break,"[/b] he had lamented on Instagram on Saturday.[/p][p]"Another weekend when I've been feeling great throughout all the sessions, but then it just falls apart."[/p][p]That proved prophetic, with fifth so much less than the 41-year-old had ‌hoped for.[/p][p][b]"The last three races have been pretty bad from my side,"[/b] he ​said.[/p][p]"At the last race (in Belgium), even the driver I collided with (Mercedes' [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/russell-george/xxF56RaN/"]George ‌Russell[/a]) said it was a racing incident and they gave me a penalty. That was not needed. And that’s cost me a lot of points. Yesterday was unfortunate. I take responsibility, I should have looked in my mirrors.[/p][p][b]"I will work hard to come back, reset, and there are still lots ⁠of positives to take. But I ⁠have to make sure I don’t ‌give them (the stewards) any reasons to give me a penalty.”[/b][/p]