Lewis Hamilton says his Ferrari feels markedly improved after a series of adjustments made ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying session, and he remains hopeful that the team can still mount a strong challenge on Sunday despite starting from the third row. Hamilton, who qualified fifth, and his teammate Charles Leclerc, who qualified sixth, will line up behind the Mercedes and McLaren entries, with Lando Norris occupying pole position.
The fifth‑place grid slot represents a step forward for Hamilton compared with his performance in the earlier Sprint Qualifying, where he had started and finished seventh. "It was a completely different session and a completely different car," Hamilton explained to Sky Sports F1 after the final Q3 run, noting that he managed to edge out Leclerc for the final spot on the third row with a clutch lap at the end of the session. He described the practice days as "great" and "consistent," but admitted that the car still had several areas that needed refinement.
"We made subtle changes to address those issues, and it completely flipped the car on its head – the Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint itself were disastrous, and I lost confidence in the balance," Hamilton said. The team then introduced a new setup for the main qualifying, effectively giving Hamilton a freshly balanced car to learn on the fly.
"Learning a new car in just six laps was a massive challenge, but I’m much happier with the current balance," he added. Hamilton also acknowledged that the Mercedes‑powered cars still hold a power advantage. "All the Mercedes‑powered cars are ahead of us, and we know we have a deficit in straight‑line power. That’s why I think our race pace will be crucial, and the car feels better suited for the race than for qualifying," he said.
The Sprint race on Saturday gave a glimpse of Ferrari’s potential on Zandvoort’s twisty, undulating layout. Leclerc finished second, just 1.3 seconds behind George Russell, and his overtake on Norris with six laps remaining was the only position change among the top ten after the opening lap.
Despite the circuit’s reputation for being hard to pass on, Hamilton hinted that the SF‑26 could still fight for front‑row positions in the main event. "I feel optimistic," he said. "Fifth isn’t ideal, but it could be far worse.
I’m grateful to be there, though I would love to be higher up the grid. Our race pace in the Sprint was solid, Charles had good race speed, and the car is in a better place now.
With the right strategy and execution, we could challenge the cars ahead." Leclerc’s late‑race overtake on Norris was especially notable because he was the only front‑runner to run the entire 24‑lap Sprint on the soft tyre compound, which offers the quickest initial grip but degrades more rapidly. Although many had expected him to fight for pole, the Monegasque never truly threatened for the top spot during any of the three knockout phases. "I don’t think the conditions played a role," Leclerc said. "We altered our power strategies too much throughout qualifying, and in Q3 I experienced some odd issues that cost us performance.
At no point did I have pole‑winning potential." After Hamilton’s late improvement dropped Leclerc to sixth on the Sunday grid, the French driver remained realistic about his chances. "Realistically, overtaking on this track will be very difficult, but we’ll give it our best and see where we end up. Starting from sixth makes life harder, so it will be a tough race, but the pace is there.
I hope strategy can help us offset the others," he explained. Team principal Frederic Vasseur took a positive view of the Sprint results, noting that the likely multi‑stop nature of the main race could work in Ferrari’s favour.
"The Sprint race pace was very strong, so we’ll try to carry that forward," Vasseur said. He highlighted the valuable data gathered from comparing the two tyre compounds during the Sprint, describing it as the best preparation they could have for the Grand Prix.
"Overtaking will be very difficult, and we expect two or three pit stops, which means everything is open," he added. Vasseur also commented on the latest batch of upgrades to the SF‑26, which includes a new floor introduced after Friday’s sole practice session.
"The upgrades are performing as expected," he confirmed. "Since the start of the season, every component we’ve introduced has worked according to plan.
We’re not expecting massive gains of half a second per race, but the continuous development is delivering the intended results." The Dutch Grand Prix schedule is set for Sunday, August 23, with the race slated to start at 2 p.m. Local time.
The weekend will also feature an F1 Academy race, a Porsche Supercup event, and build‑up programming on Sky Sports F1. Fans can stream the action via NOW, with no long‑term contract required. The atmosphere at Zandvoort promises excitement, and Hamilton’s optimism suggests that Ferrari may still have a shot at shaking up the usual order, even if the odds are stacked against them.