Lewis Hamilton expressed confidence that the Ferrari he drove at Zandvoord has moved into a more competitive position after the adjustments made for the Dutch Grand Prix qualifying session. While the team still faces a power deficit compared with the Mercedes‑powered cars, Hamilton believes the car’s balance and race‑pace have improved enough to keep the squad optimistic about Sunday’s race, even though he will line up on the third row. Ferrari continue to be Mercedes' closest rivals in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships, but at Zandvoort the Italian team qualified a full 0.3 seconds off the pole time set by Red Bull. The qualifying results placed Hamilton fifth and his teammate Charles Leclerc sixth, meaning both will start behind the two Mercedes entries and the two McLaren cars.
Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, secured pole position for the main Grand Prix. For Hamilton, however, the fifth‑place grid slot represented a step forward from the earlier Sprint Qualifying session, where he had qualified and finished seventh. "It was a completely different session and a completely different car," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the final qualifying round. He explained that the car felt solid and consistent during the practice runs, but there were still areas that needed fine‑tuning.
Subtle aerodynamic and setup changes were introduced, which, according to Hamilton, "flipped the car on its head" during the Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint race, leaving him without confidence in the balance at that point. "We introduced all those changes for the main qualifying, so I essentially had to relearn a new car and a new balance," Hamilton said. "Learning that in only six laps was a huge challenge, but I’m much happier with the way the car behaved now." He also acknowledged that the Mercedes‑powered rivals still hold a power advantage. "All the Mercedes‑powered cars are ahead of us and we know we have a bit of a deficit on power, but I think our race pace should be better and the car is definitely in a better place for the race," he added.
The Sprint race on Saturday offered a glimpse that the upgraded Ferrari could be a viable threat on Zandvoort’s twisty, undulating layout. Charles Leclerc finished second, just 1.3 seconds behind George Russell, who won the Sprint. Leclerc's decisive overtake on Lando Norris with six laps remaining was the only position change among the top ten after the opening lap, underscoring that the SF‑26 could still fight for podium places under the right circumstances. Despite Zandvoort’s reputation as a circuit where overtaking is difficult, Hamilton refused to rule out the possibility of the SF‑26 challenging for the lead again.
"I feel optimistic," he said. "Fifth isn’t ideal, but it could be a lot worse, so I’m grateful to be there. Of course I would love to be higher up the grid, but our race pace in the Sprint was strong and the car feels in a better place now.
With the right strategy and flawless execution, I think we can challenge the cars ahead." Leclerc’s performance in the Sprint also highlighted the strategic nuance of tyre choice. He was the sole front‑runner to complete the 24‑lap Sprint on the soft compound, which offers the quickest initial grip but degrades more rapidly than the medium tyre. This decision gave him a temporary speed edge, allowing the overtake on Norris, but also meant he lost pace later in the session.
Leclerc admitted that the conditions themselves were not a major factor; instead, he blamed frequent power‑unit strategy changes during qualifying and an odd issue in Q3 for the loss of performance. "At no point during qualifying did I feel I had pole‑position potential," he said. The qualifying shuffle pushed Leclerc down to sixth on Sunday’s starting grid, a position he described as challenging.
"Realistically, overtaking on this track will be very difficult, but we’ll do our best and see where we end up," he remarked. "Starting from sixth doesn’t make life easy, so it will be a tough race, but the pace is there, and with a good strategy we can offset the others." Team principal Frédéric Vasseur took a positive view of the Sprint results, noting that the race’s likely multi‑stop nature could work in Ferrari’s favor.
"The race pace in the Sprint was very strong, so we’ll try to bring that back into the Grand Prix," Vasseur said. He highlighted the valuable data gathered from comparing the two tyre compounds during the Sprint, calling it the best preparation they could have for the main event.
"Overtaking will be very difficult, and we expect two or three pit stops, which means everything will be open," he added. Vasseur also confirmed that the latest batch of upgrades to the SF‑26, including a newly introduced floor element added after Friday’s sole practice session, were performing as intended.
"It’s working according to the plan," he explained. "Since the start of the season, every upgrade we’ve introduced has behaved as expected. We’re not expecting massive gains of half a second per race, but the consistent development is a positive sign." Looking ahead to Sunday, the schedule lists a series of support events, beginning with the F1 Academy Race 2 at 9:35 am, followed by the Porsche Supercup Race 2 at 10:50 am, and the build‑up to the Grand Prix at 12:30 pm. The Dutch Grand Prix itself will start at 2:00 pm, with the chequered flag expected around 4:00 pm.
Fans can watch the action live on Sky Sports F1, streamed via NOW with a flexible, contract‑free subscription. In summary, Hamilton’s optimism reflects a broader sense of cautious hope within Ferrari.
The team has managed to extract a better‑balanced car from a series of rapid changes, and while the power deficit remains a hurdle, the improved race‑pace and strategic flexibility could enable them to contest the front runners. With a strong Sprint performance behind them and a clear upgrade path, Ferrari aims to turn the third‑row start into a podium finish, or at the very least, a solid points haul that keeps them within striking distance of the championship leaders.