Lewis Hamilton expressed confidence that the Ferrari he drove for the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying session was in a far better state than it had been earlier in the weekend, and he believes the team can still be hopeful for Sunday’s race despite starting from the third row of the grid. Ferrari are currently the closest rivals to Mercedes in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, yet at Zandvoort they qualified roughly three‑tenths of a second off the pole position, which was secured by Lando Norris of McLaren. Hamilton posted the fifth‑quickest time, while his teammate Charles Leclerc was sixth, meaning both Ferraris would line up behind the two Mercedes cars and the two McLarens for the main race.
Although starting fifth is not ideal, it does represent an improvement for Hamilton compared with his Sprint Qualifying performance, where he had qualified and finished seventh. "A completely different session, a completely different car," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the final Q3 run, noting that he managed to edge Leclerc for the front‑most slot on the third row with his last flying lap. He explained that the car felt superb and consistent during the practice sessions, but there were still a few areas that required fine‑tuning.
"We made subtle adjustments to address those issues, and the changes initially turned the car on its head – it felt terrible in Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint itself, and I lost confidence in the balance," he said. "We introduced all those modifications for the main qualifying, which meant I was essentially learning a new car again, a new balance, and I only had about six laps to get up to speed. That was a real challenge, but the car felt much better by the end of the session," Hamilton added. He also acknowledged that the Mercedes‑powered machines still have a power advantage.
"All the Mercedes cars are ahead of us, and we know we have a slight deficit in straight‑line power, so I think our race pace should be stronger and the car is definitely in a better place for the race," he said. The earlier Sprint race on Saturday had suggested that Ferrari’s package could be competitive on Zandvoort’s twisty, undulating layout. Leclerc finished second, just 1.3 seconds behind race winner 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 difficult to pass on, Hamilton did not rule out the possibility that the SF‑26 could fight for a podium spot again. "I feel optimistic," Hamilton said.
"Fifth on the grid isn’t great, but it could have been far worse, so I’m grateful for where we are, even though I’d love to be higher up. Our race pace in the Sprint was solid, Charles had good race pace, and the car feels much more settled. With the right strategy and flawless execution, I think we can challenge the cars ahead of us." Leclerc’s late overtake on Norris in the Sprint had been something of a surprise, especially because he was the only front‑runner to run the 24‑lap race on the soft tyre compound, which offers the quickest initial grip but degrades faster than the medium compound. Although the soft tyre had initially put him in pole‑position contention, he never managed to stay at the front during the three knockout stages.
"I don’t think the conditions were a factor," Leclerc explained. "We altered our power strategies a bit too much throughout qualifying, and in Q3 I experienced some odd issues, which cost us a little performance.
At no point during qualifying did I have the potential to claim pole." After Hamilton’s late improvement, Leclerc dropped to sixth on the Sunday grid. He commented on his race prospects, acknowledging the difficulty of overtaking at Zandvoort: "Realistically, it will be very hard to pass on track, but we’ll do our best and see where we end up. Starting from sixth doesn’t make life easy, so it will be a tough race, but the pace is there, and I hope we can use strategy to offset the others." Team principal Frédéric Vasseur took a positive view of the Sprint performance, noting that the race is likely to involve multiple pit stops, which could work to Ferrari’s advantage.
"The race pace in the Sprint was very strong, so we’ll try to bring that back," the Frenchman said. "We had a good comparison between the two tyre compounds during the Sprint, which is probably the best preparation we can have for the Grand Prix." He also highlighted the latest upgrades to the SF‑26, including a new floor introduced after Friday’s sole practice session, confirming that they were delivering the expected performance.
"It’s working as planned," Vasseur added. "Since the start of the season, every upgrade we’ve brought has performed according to the plan. This year we’re delivering a lot of upgrades at each race, but they’re incremental rather than massive – we’re not expecting to gain half a second per race, but the development is proceeding as intended." The Dutch Grand Prix schedule for Sunday includes a build‑up session at 12:30 pm, the race itself at 2:00 pm, and the chequered flag at around 4:00 pm. Fans can watch live on Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW, with no long‑term contract required.
The event also features support races such as the F1 Academy and Porsche Supercup, adding to the weekend’s excitement. Overall, Hamilton’s optimism reflects a belief that the recent balance changes have put Ferrari in a more competitive position for the race, even if the team still trails the Mercedes cars in outright power. With a solid Sprint showing, strategic flexibility, and ongoing development, Ferrari hopes to turn the third‑row start into a podium finish or at least a strong points haul on a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult.