Lewis Hamilton expressed confidence that the Ferrari he drove for the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying session was in a significantly better state after a series of adjustments, and he maintained a hopeful outlook for Sunday’s race despite starting from the third row. Ferrari, currently the closest rivals to Mercedes in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, qualified just three‑tenths of a second off the pole position at Zandvoort, the first Formula 1 event back after the summer hiatus. Hamilton posted the fifth‑fastest time, while teammate Charles Leclerc was sixth.
Both will line up behind the Mercedes and McLaren cars, with Lando Norris occupying pole. Although a fifth‑place grid slot is not ideal, it represents a clear improvement for Hamilton compared with his seventh‑place finish in the earlier Sprint qualifying session. "A completely different session and a completely different car," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the main qualifying round, noting that he managed to edge past Leclerc on the final lap of Q3 to claim the inside seat of the third row. "During practice the car felt great and was consistent, but there were always areas we could fine‑tune.
We introduced subtle changes to address those points, and the car behaved oddly during Sprint qualifying and the Sprint itself – I had no confidence in its balance." He went on to explain that the team had reverted many of the Sprint‑era tweaks for the final qualifying run, essentially giving him a freshly balanced vehicle to learn quickly. "We made all those changes for qualifying, so I was learning a new car again, a new balance, which I’m much happier with. Learning it in only six laps was a challenge, but the car feels far better for the race," Hamilton said. Hamilton also acknowledged the power deficit his Mercedes‑powered Ferrari still faces.
"All the Mercedes‑powered cars are ahead of us, and we know we have a bit of a power shortfall, but I think our race pace should be stronger and the car is in a better place for the race," he added. The earlier Sprint race on Saturday suggested that Ferrari’s package could be competitive on Zandvoort’s twisty, undulating layout.
Leclerc finished second, just 1.3 seconds behind George Russell, after making a decisive overtake on Lando Norris with six laps remaining – 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 place.
"I feel optimistic," Hamilton said. "Fifth isn’t the best, 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 race 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 overtake on Norris was surprising because he was the sole front‑runner to complete the 24‑lap Sprint on the soft tyre compound – a tyre that offers the quickest initial grip but degrades more rapidly than the medium.
While many expected him to fight for pole, the Monegasque never appeared a genuine contender in 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 during qualifying did I have pole‑winning potential." After Hamilton’s late improvement, Leclerc slipped to sixth on the Sunday grid.
He remained realistic about the challenges ahead: "Realistically it will be very difficult to overtake on this track, but we’ll 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 encouragement from the Sprint performance, noting that a likely 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 Grand Prix. Overtaking will be very difficult, and we expect two or three pit stops, meaning everything will be open." Vasseur also commented on the latest batch of upgrades to the SF‑26, which includes a new floor element that was introduced after Friday’s sole practice session. "It’s working as planned," he affirmed. "Since the start of the season, every upgrade we’ve brought has performed according to expectations.
This year we are delivering many small upgrades at each race, not massive changes, so we don’t expect to gain half a second per event, but the development is proceeding as intended." The Dutch Grand Prix schedule continues with support races on Sunday morning, followed by the main event at 2 pm. Fans can watch live on Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW, with the option to cancel at any time.
The weekend promises intense strategic battles, tyre management challenges, and a chance for Ferrari to prove that their recent improvements can translate into a podium finish on the historic Zandvoort circuit.