Lewis Hamilton defends his passion for F1 after F-word rant over Mercedes' team radio

A furious Lewis Hamilton accused his Mercedes team of "f****** screwing" him after a bungled strategy derailed his shot at winning Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.

Hamilton was in contention to take his first win of the season - running second to Max Verstappen when Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas broke down, and the safety car was sent out with 15 laps remaining. But while Verstappen and all those around him stopped for the speediest soft tyres, the Briton was left out on worn medium rubber.

Hamilton assumed the lead, but Mercedes' curious decision rendered the seven-time world champion a sitting duck - just as in last year's title decider in Abu Dhabi - when the race resumed on lap 61 of 72.

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George Russell gets past team mate Lewis Hamilton, but not without a fright! ??#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kJoeKykBFL

Home crowd delight

Verstappen breezed past Hamilton before the first corner, to the delight of his home crowd. The Red Bull driver claimed his fourth victory in a row and extended his championship lead over Charles Leclerc to 109 points with seven rounds remaining and 175 points available.

George Russell passed Hamilton for second on lap 64, with Ferrari's Leclerc knocking Hamilton off the podium the next time around. Hamilton promptly turned the airwaves blue.

"That was the biggest f***-up," the 37-year-old yelled over the radio.

"I can't believe you guys f****** screwed me. I can't tell you how p***** I am."

READ: Verstappen's blistering pace, Russell lifts Mercedes - Talking points from Dutch GP

Hamilton started fourth, but a one-stop tyre strategy seemed to work in his favour, only for Verstappen to be handed an effective free stop