Lewis Hamilton expressed confidence that the Ferrari he drove for the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying session was in a considerably improved state, and he remained hopeful that the team could still mount a serious challenge on race day despite starting from the third row of the grid. Ferrari continue to be 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, the first race back after the summer hiatus. Hamilton posted the fifth‑fastest time, while his teammate Charles Leclerc was sixth, meaning both Ferraris would 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 advance for Hamilton compared with his earlier Sprint Qualifying performance, where he had qualified and finished seventh.
"A very different session, a very different car," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the main qualifying. He explained that during practice the car felt "great and consistent," but there were still small areas that required refinement. After making subtle adjustments, the car’s balance changed dramatically, leading to a disastrous Sprint Qualifying and Sprint race where Hamilton felt he had "no confidence in the balance." He added that the team introduced a series of changes for the final qualifying session, essentially giving him a new car to learn on the fly.
"I was learning a new car again, a new balance, which I’m much happier with – trying to progress with it and learning with only about six laps was a challenge," Hamilton said. He acknowledged that the Mercedes‑powered machines still held a power advantage, but he believed the race pace of the SF‑26 would be stronger than the qualifying performance suggested. "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 concluded.
The earlier Sprint race on Saturday had shown that Ferrari could be competitive 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 limited overtaking opportunities, Hamilton refused to rule out the possibility of the SF‑26 fighting for a podium place. "I feel optimistic," he said.
"Fifth is not the greatest but it could be far worse, so I’m grateful to be there, although of course I wish I was further up the grid. However, our race pace was good in the Sprint.
Charles had good race pace and the car is in a better place. Hopefully with the right strategy and execution we can challenge the cars ahead." Leclerc’s late‑race pass on Norris was surprising because he had been the only front‑runner to run the entire 24‑lap Sprint on the soft tyre compound, which offers the highest initial grip but degrades more quickly than the medium. Although the softs had initially positioned him as a pole‑candidate, he never truly threatened the top three in any of the three knockout stages. "I don’t think the conditions played a role," Leclerc explained.
"We changed the power strategies too much throughout qualifying, and in Q3 I experienced some odd issues, so we lost a bit of performance there. At no time during qualifying did I have the potential of pole." After Hamilton’s late improvement, Leclerc started the Sunday race from sixth. He admitted that overtaking at Zandvoort would be extremely difficult, but he remained confident that Ferrari’s race pace could 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 the race was likely to involve multiple pit stops, which could play to Ferrari’s advantage. "The race pace in the Sprint was very strong, so we will try to come back," Vasseur 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 confirmed that the latest batch of upgrades to the SF‑26, including a new floor introduced after Friday’s sole practice session, were performing as intended. "It’s working as per the plan," he affirmed. "From the beginning of the season, every time we brought something it’s worked as expected.
It’s a positive side of the development this year. We are bringing a lot of upgrades at each race, not huge ones, so we are not expecting to gain five tenths per race, but it’s working as expected." The Dutch Grand Prix schedule for Sunday, August 23, includes the F1 Academy race at 9:35 am, the Porsche Supercup at 10:50 am, and the main Grand Prix build‑up starting at 12:30 pm, with the race itself slated for 2:00 pm, followed by the chequered flag ceremony at 4:00 pm. The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract.
Hamilton’s optimism, Leclerc’s realistic assessment, and Vasseur’s confidence in the car’s development set the stage for an intriguing battle at Zandvoort, where strategic pit stops and tyre management could prove decisive in shaping the final podium.