The Briton called the change in the car "incredible," while the Monegasque was dissatisfied with his sixth place. Leclerc, for his part, pointed out that changes in engine modes affected him.
Lewis Hamilton has praised the "incredible" upgrades Ferrari introduced on its car during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, but his teammate Charles Leclerc was left dissatisfied after a "less than ideal" session. The Briton, who did not have an easy start to the weekend, managed to qualify fifth after adjustments to the setup: "I'm much happier with the car, honestly, it's crazy" declared Hamilton.
The seven time world champion explained that he lost confidence in sprint qualifying and during the sprint race, but that the changes in car setup allowed him to regain good feelings: "We changed a lot of things, but it doesn't seem like it was that big, but the difference it makes in the car is incredible. The difficult part is that I started FP1 with good confidence, I lost it all in sprint qualifying, and throughout the entire sprint race I had no confidence in the balance" he stated.
Hamilton highlighted that the car responded well in qualifying: "Then I go into qualifying and the car is there... the balance is there at least, so I was building and building and building. A few more laps and I think we could have done better, but I think ultimately the tires were the problem for us" he added.
Despite Hamilton's improvement, Leclerc did not share his optimism. The Monegasque, who was sixth in qualifying, lamented the difference in performance between sessions: "We need to look at two things, really. I think the first is mainly the fact that we started changing engine modes from Q1 to Q2, from Q2 to Q3, and the car does different things underneath me, which is not something I enjoy" he explained.
Leclerc also referred to the preparation lap: "The second is the preparation lap we did, which the others don't seem to have done. I don't think my tires would have been ready without that preparation lap, but we need to keep an open mind and look at what the others have done" he stated.
The Monegasque acknowledged that starting sixth is "less than ideal" on a circuit where overtaking is difficult: "It's a very difficult circuit to overtake, that's why qualifying was so important. Starting sixth is less than ideal, but that's how it is now" he declared.
Hamilton, for his part, was more optimistic ahead of Sunday's race: "I'm much happier with the car" he repeated. The difference in the drivers' feelings reflects the SF-26's complexity and the difficulty of finding a setup that works for both.
The second half of the season will be crucial for Ferrari. The team needs to score points and close the gap to Mercedes. Hamilton trusts that the upgrades to the car will allow him to fight for the title, while Leclerc hopes to find the confidence he lacks.
Ferrari has shown flashes of competitiveness in Zandvoort, but the inconsistency between its drivers remains a handicap. Hamilton has regained confidence while Leclerc searches for answers. The Scuderia needs to find a balance that works for both if it wants to close the gap to Mercedes in the second half of the season.
