Lewis Hamilton expressed confidence that the Ferrari he drove at the Dutch Grand Prix has moved into a more favourable position after a series of adjustments were made ahead of qualifying. Despite having to start the race from the third row, he believes the team can still be hopeful for a strong finish on Sunday.
Ferrari continue to be Mercedes' closest rivals in both the drivers' and constructors' championships, yet at Zandvoort they qualified roughly three‑tenths of a second off the pole time. The event marked Formula 1's first race following the summer hiatus.
Hamilton posted the fifth‑quickest time in qualifying, while his teammate Charles Leclerc was sixth, meaning both will line up behind the Mercedes and McLaren entries. Lando Norris, meanwhile, secured pole position. Hamilton’s fifth‑place start nevertheless signalled progress compared with the earlier sprint qualifying session, where he had been seventh. "A completely different session, a completely different car," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the main qualifying round.
He explained that the car felt "great and consistent" during practice, but that there were still areas for improvement. Subtle changes were introduced to address those points, which, according to Hamilton, initially turned the car "upside‑down" and produced a disastrous sprint qualifying and sprint race. "I had no confidence in the balance," he admitted.
When the new setup was implemented for the final qualifying session, Hamilton described the experience as learning a "new car again" with a different balance. "I’m much happier with it now, but mastering it in only six laps was a real challenge," he said. He also noted that all the Mercedes‑powered cars were ahead on the grid, indicating a power deficit for Ferrari. Nevertheless, he believes the race‑day pace will be better, stating, "The car is better for the race." The sprint race earlier on Saturday seemed to confirm that the SF‑26 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 inside the top ten after the opening lap. Even though Zandvoort is not renowned for easy overtaking, Hamilton refused to rule out the possibility of the Ferrari re‑joining the front‑running pack during the Grand Prix.
"I feel optimistic," Hamilton 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 higher up. Our race pace in the sprint was strong, Charles showed good speed, and the car feels in a better place. With the right strategy and flawless execution, we could challenge the cars ahead." Leclerc’s late‑race move on Norris was particularly noteworthy because he was the only front‑runner to complete the 24‑lap sprint on the soft tyre compound.
Soft tyres deliver the quickest lap times initially but degrade more rapidly than the medium compound. This tyre choice had initially raised expectations that Leclerc might fight for pole, yet he never appeared a genuine contender during any of the three knockout phases. "I don’t think the conditions played a role," Leclerc explained.
"We altered our power strategies too much throughout qualifying, and in Q3 I experienced some odd issues, which cost us performance. At no point did I have the potential for pole." After Hamilton’s late improvement pushed Leclerc down to sixth on the Sunday grid, the Monegasque driver commented on the challenges ahead: "Realistically, overtaking on this circuit will be very difficult, 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. I hope we can use strategy to offset the others." Team principal Frédéric Vasseur took a positive view of the sprint performance, suggesting that the likely multi‑stop nature of the Grand Prix could work to Ferrari’s advantage.
"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 here; we’ll probably have 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 newly introduced floor element that was first seen during Friday’s sole practice session.
"It’s working as per the plan," he affirmed. "Since the start of the season, every upgrade we’ve introduced has performed as expected. This year we’re delivering a lot of upgrades at each race, not huge ones, so we don’t expect to gain half a second per event, but the development is proceeding as intended." The weekend schedule features a range of support events, including the F1 Academy Race 2 at 9:35 am, the Porsche Supercup Race 2 at 10:50 am, and a Grand Prix build‑up session at 12:30 pm.
The Dutch Grand Prix itself will start at 2:00 pm on Sunday, with the chequered flag expected around 4:00 pm. Fans can watch the action live on Sky Sports F1, streamed via NOW with no long‑term contract required.
Overall, Hamilton’s remarks underline a cautious optimism for Ferrari. While the team still trails the Mercedes‑powered cars in raw power, the recent balance changes and the promising sprint pace suggest that the SF‑26 may yet deliver a competitive race performance. With strategic pit stops, tyre management, and a bit of luck, both Hamilton and Leclerc could challenge the front‑runners and potentially secure a podium finish at Zandvoort.