Lewis Hamilton has voiced confidence that the recent adjustments to his Ferrari have put the car in a more favourable position for the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix race, despite the fact that he will line up on the third row of the grid. The seven‑time world champion explained that the team’s work between practice and qualifying has altered the balance of the SF‑26, making it feel more predictable and competitive, and he believes that this will translate into stronger race‑pace on Sunday.
Ferrari remain the closest challengers to Mercedes in the current championship battle, but at Zandvoort they qualified a full three‑tenths of a second off the pole time set by the McLaren of Lando Norris. Hamilton posted the fifth‑fastest lap, while his teammate Charles Leclerc was sixth. Both will start behind the two Mercedes and the two McLarens, with Norris on pole. The fifth‑place grid slot, however, represents a clear improvement for Hamilton compared with the earlier Sprint Qualifying session, where he had qualified and finished seventh.
"A completely different session, a completely different car," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the main qualifying session. He managed to edge Leclerc at the very end of Q3 to claim the inside spot on the third row.
"In practice the car felt wonderful and was consistent, but there are always little things you can tweak. We made subtle changes to address those points and it turned the car on its head – it was dreadful through Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint, I had no confidence in the balance." He went on to describe the challenge of adapting to the new setup: "We introduced all those changes for qualifying, so I was essentially learning a new car again, a new balance that I’m much happier with. Trying to get up to speed with only six laps left was a real test." Hamilton added that, while Mercedes‑powered cars still hold a power advantage, he expects the Ferrari’s race‑pace to be superior to its qualifying performance.
"All the Mercedes‑powered cars are ahead and we know we have a slight deficit on power, so I think our race pace should be better and the car is better for the race." The earlier Sprint race on Saturday seemed to confirm that the upgraded Ferrari could be a genuine contender on Zandvoort’s twisty, undulating layout. Leclerc finished second, just 1.3 seconds behind George Russell, after overtaking Norris with six laps remaining – the only position change among the top ten after the opening lap. Hamilton, despite the circuit’s reputation for limited overtaking opportunities, refused to rule out the possibility of the SF‑26 fighting for podium places again.
"I feel optimistic," he said. "Fifth isn’t ideal but it could be far worse, so I’m grateful to be there, even though I would love to be further up the grid. Our race pace in the Sprint was good, Charles had strong race pace and the car feels in a better place.
With the right strategy and execution we can challenge the cars ahead." Leclerc’s late overtake on Norris was notable because he was the only front‑runner to run the 24‑lap Sprint on the soft tyre compound, which offers the quickest initial grip but degrades more rapidly than the medium compound. He had been tipped as a potential pole contender, yet he never appeared a threat during any of the three knockout phases.
"I don’t think the conditions played a role," Leclerc explained. "We changed the power strategies a bit too much throughout qualifying and in Q3 I experienced some odd issues, so we lost a little performance there. At no point during qualifying did I have pole‑position potential." After Hamilton’s late improvement, Leclerc will start the Sunday race from sixth.
He acknowledged the difficulty of overtaking at Zandvoort but remained hopeful. "Realistically it will be very difficult to overtake on track but we will do our best and see where we end up. Starting from sixth doesn’t make our life easy, so it will be a tough race but the pace is there, so I hope we can do something with strategy and offset ourselves to the others." Team principal Frédéric Vasseur took a positive view of the Sprint performance, noting that the likely multi‑stop nature of the Grand Prix could work in Ferrari’s favour.
"The race pace in the Sprint was very strong, so we will try to come back," he said. "We had a good comparison between the two tyre compounds in the Sprint, which is probably the best preparation we can have for the race.
It’s very difficult to overtake, so we expect two or three pit stops, meaning everything stays open." Vasseur also commented on the latest batch of upgrades to the SF‑26, which include a new floor introduced after Friday’s sole practice session. "It’s working as per the plan," he affirmed.
"From the start of the season, every time we introduced something it performed as expected. It’s a positive side of the development this year.
We are bringing a lot of upgrades at each race, not massive ones, so we don’t expect to gain five‑tenths per race, but it’s working as intended." The Dutch Grand Prix schedule for Sunday, 23 August, features a build‑up session at 12:30 pm, the race itself at 2:00 pm, and the chequered flag at 4:00 pm, all broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Fans can also stream the coverage via NOW, with a flexible subscription that can be cancelled at any time. The event promises an exciting showdown as Ferrari aims to capitalize on its recent improvements, while Mercedes and McLaren look to defend their advantageous grid positions.
The combination of strategic tyre choices, potential multi‑stop strategies, and the refined balance of the SF‑26 will be key factors determining whether Hamilton and Leclerc can turn their qualifying positions into podium finishes on the iconic Dutch circuit.