Lewis Hamilton says the recent adjustments to his Ferrari have put the car in a more favourable position for the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix, and he remains confident that the team can still be competitive on race day despite starting from the third row of the grid. Ferrari are currently the closest challengers to Mercedes in both the drivers' and constructors' championships, yet they qualified roughly three‑tenths of a second off the pole position at Zandvoort, the first event after the summer hiatus. Hamilton posted the fifth‑quickest time in qualifying, while his teammate Charles Leclerc was sixth. Both will line up behind the Mercedes and McLaren entries, with Lando Norris occupying pole.
Although a fifth‑place start is not ideal, it does represent an improvement for Hamilton compared with the earlier sprint qualifying, where he had qualified and finished seventh. "A completely different session, a completely different car," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the final qualifying session. He explained that a series of subtle setup changes made after a strong practice performance had dramatically altered the car's balance, turning a car that felt "horrible" in the sprint qualifying into something he was far more comfortable with for the main qualifying run. "In practice the car felt great and was consistent, but there are always areas you feel you can improve," Hamilton said.
"We made subtle changes to try and fix those issues, and it flipped the car on its head. It was dreadful through Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint, and I had no confidence in the balance.
We introduced all those changes into Qualifying, so I was essentially learning a new car again – a new balance – and I’m much happier with it now. Learning that in only six laps was a challenge, but it paid off." Hamilton also acknowledged the power deficit that Ferrari still faces compared with the Mercedes‑powered rivals. "All the Mercedes‑powered cars are ahead and we know we have a bit of a deficit on power, so I think our race pace should be better and the car is better for the race," he added.
The sprint race on Saturday gave a glimpse of how the updated SF‑26 could perform on Zandvoort’s twisty, undulating layout. Leclerc finished second, just 1.3 seconds behind George Russell, and his overtaking move on Norris with six laps remaining was the only change among the top ten after the opening lap. Despite the circuit’s reputation for making overtaking difficult, Hamilton did not rule out the possibility of the Ferrari fighting for podium positions. "I feel optimistic," he said.
"Fifth is not the greatest but it could be far worse, so I’m grateful to be there, though I would love to be further up the grid. Our race pace was good in the Sprint. Charles had good race pace and the car is in a better place.
With the right strategy and execution, I think we can challenge the cars ahead." Leclerc’s late overtake on Norris was notable because he was the only front‑runner to run the full 24‑lap sprint on the soft tyre compound, which provides the quickest initial grip but degrades faster than the medium tyre. The Monegasque driver had been tipped as a pole contender, yet he never appeared to be a threat in any of the three knockout sessions. "I don’t think the conditions played a role," Leclerc explained.
"We changed the power strategies a bit too much throughout qualifying, then in Q3 I had some odd things happening, so we lost a bit of performance there. At no time during qualifying did I have the potential for pole." After Hamilton’s late improvement, Leclerc will start the race from sixth. He admitted the starting position makes overtaking on the narrow Zandvoort circuit even more challenging, but he remains hopeful that strategy and the car’s pace can compensate.
"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," he said. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur took a positive view of the sprint performance, noting that a multi‑stop race could work to Ferrari’s advantage. "The race pace in the Sprint was very strong, so we will try to come back," the Frenchman 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. It will probably be two or three pit stops, which means everything is open." Vasseur also addressed the latest batch of upgrades to the SF‑26, which includes a new floor introduced after Friday’s sole practice session.
"It’s working as per the plan," he confirmed. "From the beginning of the season, every time we brought something it worked as expected. It’s a positive side of the development this year.
We are bringing a lot of upgrades at each race, not big ones, so we are not expecting to gain five‑tenths per race, but it’s working as expected." The Dutch Grand Prix schedule shows a packed day of action: the F1 Academy Race 2 at 9:35 am, the Porsche Supercup Race 2 at 10:50 am, followed by the Grand Prix build‑up at 12:30 pm. The main event, the Dutch Grand Prix, kicks off at 2:00 pm, with the chequered flag expected around 4:00 pm. The race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a contract, with the option to cancel at any time. Overall, Hamilton’s comments reflect a cautious optimism.
While the Ferrari still lags in outright power, the recent balance changes and the strong sprint‑race performance suggest the team may have found a more workable rhythm for the race itself. If the strategic calls during the Grand Prix align with the car’s improved handling, both Hamilton and Leclerc could turn a modest grid position into a respectable finish, keeping Ferrari in the hunt for both race wins and championship points as the season progresses.