Lewis Hamilton has expressed confidence that the recent adjustments to his Ferrari have put the car in a more favourable position for the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix race, even though the team will line up from the third row on the grid. After a mixed weekend that began with a disappointing sprint qualifying session, the seven-time world champion highlighted how the modifications made between the sprint and the main qualifying session have altered the car's balance and handling, giving him a renewed sense of optimism heading into Sunday's race. Ferrari remain the closest rivals to Mercedes in both the drivers' and constructors' championships, but at Zandvoord they found themselves a full three‑tenths of a second off the pole position set by the McLaren of Lando Norris. Hamilton qualified fifth, while his teammate Charles Leclerc secured sixth.
Both will start behind the two Mercedes drivers and the two McLarens, with Norris occupying pole, Max Verstappen alongside on the front row, and the Mercedes pair occupying the second row. The fifth‑place grid slot does represent an improvement for Hamilton compared with the earlier sprint qualifying, where he had only managed seventh. "It was a completely different session and the car behaved very differently," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the final Q3 run that saw him edge past Leclerc for the final spot on the third row.
"During practice the car felt great – it was consistent and gave me confidence. But there were still areas we could improve, so the engineers made subtle changes.
Those tweaks turned the car on its head for the sprint, and the result was a lack of confidence in the balance." He went on to explain that the team introduced a series of aerodynamic and mechanical updates for the main qualifying, essentially giving him a "new car" to learn in a very short time frame. "I had only about six laps to get a feel for the new balance, and that was a challenge, but the car felt much better. The changes helped us recover the performance we lost in the sprint, and I am much happier with the package now," Hamilton said. Hamilton also acknowledged that the Mercedes‑powered cars still have a power advantage at Zandvoort.
"All the Mercedes‑powered cars are ahead of us, and we know we have a slight deficit in straight‑line power. That means we need to rely on race pace and tyre management to make up the difference," he noted.
"The car feels better for the race, and I think our race pace will be stronger than the sprint pace." The sprint race on Saturday had shown that Ferrari could be competitive on the twisty, undulating Zandvoort circuit. Leclerc finished second, just 1.3 seconds behind George Russell, after making a decisive overtake on Norris with six laps remaining. That move was the only position change among the top ten after the opening lap, underscoring how difficult overtaking is at this venue. Despite the circuit's reputation for limiting passing opportunities, Hamilton refused to rule out the possibility that the SF‑26 could fight at the front again.
"I feel optimistic," he said. "Fifth on the grid isn’t ideal, but it could be much worse.
I’m grateful to be there, and of course I would love to be higher up. Our race pace in the sprint was strong, Charles had good race pace, and the car is in a better place now. With the right strategy and flawless execution, I think we can challenge the cars ahead." Leclerc, who dropped to sixth on the grid after Hamilton's late improvement, was realistic about the difficulty of overtaking at Zandvoort. "Realistically it will be very difficult to overtake on track, but we will do our best and see where we end up," he said.
"Starting from sixth doesn’t make our life easy, so it will be a tough race, but the pace is there. I hope we can use strategy to offset the others." Team principal Frédéric Vasseur was upbeat about the sprint performance and the potential for a multi‑stop race strategy to work in Ferrari's favour.
"The race pace in the sprint was very strong, so we will try to bring that into the Grand Prix," Vasseur explained. "We had a good comparison between the two tyre compounds during the sprint, which is probably the best preparation we can have for the main race. Overtaking will be difficult, so we expect two or three pit stops, which will keep the race open and give us opportunities to gain positions through strategy." Vasseur also addressed the latest upgrades to the SF‑26, which include a new floor element that was introduced after Friday's sole practice session. "The new floor is performing as we expected," he confirmed.
"Since the start of the season, every upgrade we have brought has worked according to plan. We are not expecting massive gains of half a second per race, but the cumulative effect of consistent development is positive." Looking ahead to Sunday, the schedule includes a build‑up show at 12:30 pm, followed by the Dutch Grand Prix at 2:00 pm, with the race concluding around 4:00 pm when the chequered flag will fall. Fans can watch the action live on Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW, with no long‑term contract required.
In summary, Hamilton's remarks reflect a cautious optimism. The Ferrari team has managed to turn a disappointing sprint qualifying into a more promising main qualifying, and both drivers believe the car's race‑day performance will be stronger. While the power deficit to Mercedes remains a concern, strategic tyre choices and pit‑stop timing could provide the leverage needed to challenge for podium positions at Zandvoort. The upcoming race will be a true test of whether the recent upgrades and the team's strategic approach can translate into tangible results on the track.