The Monegasque will start third in the sprint, just 55 thousandths off pole. "It's my best qualifying lap of the year," he stated.
Charles Leclerc has described his performance in sprint qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix as "his best qualifying lap of the year." The Monegasque will start third in Saturday's sprint race, just 55 thousandths behind George Russell's (Mercedes) pole position and behind Lando Norris (McLaren): "I would have preferred to start first, but at the end of the day I'm very happy with today because honestly I think it's my best qualifying lap of the year" declared Leclerc.
The Ferrari driver was optimistic after a weekend in which the SF-26 has shown good pace: "That means we are doing something right with the feelings too. It doesn't mean it will stay there forever, but at least they are good steps in the right direction, and especially after such a long break you want to have that feeling to start the second half" he explained.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, had a more complicated qualifying session. The Briton, who is second in the drivers' championship 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli, could only manage seventh, more than six tenths behind Russell: "It wasn't a good session unfortunately. That's how things are. FP1 felt good, we made subtle adjustments to the car and then we went into qualifying and it was a completely different car. I need to figure out what went wrong and then we'll do our best tomorrow" declared Hamilton.
The difference between Leclerc's and Hamilton's feelings reflects the SF-26's complexity. The Monegasque found the perfect balance, while the Briton struggled with a car that did not respond as he expected. Ferrari needs both drivers to be at their best level if it wants to close the gap to Mercedes in the constructors' championship.
Leclerc trusts that the team can maintain the pace shown in sprint qualifying: "It was a good effort, unfortunately we missed pole, but at least we are more or less in the fight" he stated. The Monegasque hopes that the sprint race will be an opportunity to score valuable points and continue climbing in the championship.
Hamilton will have to fight back from seventh position. The Briton knows he needs to score points if he wants to stay in the title fight. The second half of the season is crucial for his aspirations...
Ferrari has shown good pace at Zandvoort, a circuit that should suit the SF-26's characteristics. The Scuderia hopes that the upgrades introduced on the car and its drivers' performance will allow it to close the gap to Mercedes in the second half of the season. Saturday's sprint race will be the first opportunity to measure Ferrari's progress. Leclerc will start from a privileged position, while Hamilton will have to fight to climb positions.
Ferrari has shown flashes of competitiveness in Zandvoort, but inconsistency remains its main handicap. Leclerc has demonstrated that the SF-26 has potential, while Hamilton needs to regain confidence. The second half of the season will be key to defining whether the Scuderia can truly fight for the championship or if Mercedes maintains its dominance.
This Sunday will be the definitive test for the Italian team, which has not lost hope of winning the championship.
