The alleged brake-test
It seems like an avalanche impossible to stop and that grows bigger every moment, the one overwhelming the Ferrari team in the post-race of Zandvoort. The tension between the two Maranello drivers indeed grew a lot during the Dutch GP on Sunday, amid strategic misunderstandings and mutual nervousness regarding how the team managed a delicate situation in which Hamilton found himself ‘bottlenecked’ behind the slower teammate during a crucial phase of the Grand Prix.
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Adding further tension, if needed, is also another controversy – which is taking shape almost exclusively on social networks, it should be noted – regarding an alleged brake-test that Hamilton would have performed against Leclerc during the last lap, when the two were glued one behind the other, both attached to the rear of George Russell’s Mercedes in a three-way battle to claim the last step of the podium.
Data analysis
TV images show how Leclerc during the last lap got very close to Hamilton, threatening the fourth place of his teammate much more than Hamilton managed to do against Russell. The area of the ‘accused’ maneuver would be curves 6 and 7, but the telemetry analysis carried out by our Federico Albano shows how Hamilton’s was a legitimate defensive cover and certainly not a brake-test.
I went to check out the moment between #Hamilton and #Leclerc on the last lap out of curiosity and I don’t see any brake-testing from Lewis. Charles was coming much stronger and had to brake hard because Lewis covered. It’s a matter of lateral movements, but not brake-testing. #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/CB0hUcYanO
— Federico Albano (@Fred__18) August 23, 2026
Hamilton in fact clearly had little residual energy, because he had spent a large amount earlier trying to attack Russell and was probably ‘gathering’ it to attempt a last assault before the finish line. Leclerc instead adopts an opposite strategy and releases all the energy exiting curve 3 and approaching curve 7, where he reaches 304 km/h, against Hamilton’s 290 km/h.
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At this point the Monegasque has to hit the brake hard, downshifting two gears as well. Hamilton’s speed, however, is very similar to that of his reference lap, so it was a ‘classic’ situation where Leclerc attacked and Hamilton defended with lateral movements, but without any brake-test. Moving away from the ‘Ferrari-centric’ discussion, one can also address the safety issue, already discussed for similar incidents earlier in the season: when two cars duel and speed gaps of 15-20 km/h arise depending on how each manages energy, inevitably a potentially dangerous situation is created.
Leclerc just shaking his head at Lewis is a demonstration of how spoiled this kid is
he pushed Lewis at the start, who almost crashed into Max because of it, held him back for a few laps and compromised BOTH their races and almost crashed into him at the end..
FUCK OFF!!! pic.twitter.com/hD5KSmIiLH
— Alex Damião (@alex_damiao) August 23, 2026
Leclerc annoyed
What is certain is that Leclerc just after crossing the finish line pulled alongside Hamilton’s car, turning his helmet towards his teammate, and shook his head, showing clear disapproval. However, it is impossible to know if Leclerc actually thought he had suffered an unfair maneuver from his garage mate. Probably, more than for the non-existent brake-test, Leclerc’s annoyance could have been due to the lateral movements – still legitimate – with which Hamilton defended his position during the last lap. What is sure is that the atmosphere ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled in Monza in two weeks, is anything but calm.
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