Charles Leclerc finished second in the Dutch Grand Prix Sprint at Zandvoort after producing the race’s decisive overtake on Lando Norris, but the Ferrari driver remains cautious about his chances of challenging for pole position in qualifying. Starting third and running an alternative Soft-tyre strategy, Charles Leclerc stayed with the leaders before using saved battery energy to attack the McLaren late in the race.
The Zandvoort Sprint was hardly a race that will be remembered for constant action or overtaking, but Charles Leclerc provided its standout move when he passed Lando Norris around three-quarters of the way through. The Ferrari driver had started from third place, remained in touch with the leading cars and then made his opportunity count at Turn 1, the circuit’s main overtaking point.
Charles Leclerc turns Ferrari’s Soft tyre gamble into Dutch GP Sprint P2
Charles Leclerc was the only driver among the leading contenders to start on the Soft compound. Rather than using its extra grip to gain positions immediately, however, the Ferrari driver ultimately made the strategy work towards the end of the Sprint.
From third on the grid, catching and overtaking George Russell was always an extremely difficult objective, even with comparable race pace. Charles Leclerc nevertheless produced an almost flawless Sprint and gave Ferrari another encouraging result during a weekend in which the new SF-26 floor package has helped underline the car’s competitiveness at Zandvoort.
Leclerc: “I would be surprised if we started on pole”
Reflecting on Ferrari’s performance, Charles Leclerc explained that the signs had already been encouraging during the previous day’s race simulation.
“I think our pace was already very good yesterday in the race simulation on the Medium. We knew we had a good car, even though we are missing something in qualifying. With the Soft choice, I expected to gain positions at the start and not at the end of the Sprint, but it was quite a good race. Now we have to try to start a little higher up so that we can make the race easier for ourselves. I would be surprised if we started on pole, but I will do everything I can to make that happen.”
The Ferrari driver was also satisfied with the decision to choose the Soft tyre, despite briefly questioning the strategy when he realised nobody else among the frontrunners had made the same choice.
“I thought the Soft was a good tyre. Of course, when I saw that I was the only one on it, I hoped I had judged everything correctly, but I’m happy with this route,” Charles Leclerc added.
Charles Leclerc explains why George Russell remained out of reach
After passing Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc briefly considered whether George Russell could also be caught. The Mercedes driver, however, had enough performance in reserve to respond.
“Could I have caught Russell? I believed I could, but after two or three laps he started pushing a little more and that was when I understood it would be difficult. On top of that, he had different power delivery on the straight compared with Lando.”
Charles Leclerc had deliberately saved battery energy before committing to his move on Lando Norris, deploying it at Turn 1 to complete the pass. The result confirmed Ferrari’s strong Zandvoort form while also showing how important qualifying could become on a circuit where overtaking opportunities remain limited.
Ferrari’s Zandvoort progress strengthens Leclerc’s championship position
For Charles Leclerc, second place provided further confirmation of the competitiveness Ferrari has shown at Zandvoort with its new floor. It also delivered valuable championship points at an important stage of the 2026 season.
The result consolidates Charles Leclerc’s fourth place in the 2026 Formula 1 driver standings after the Dutch GP Sprint, increasing his advantage over Lando Norris to 11 points.
Attention now turns to qualifying, where Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari still needs to find something more over a single lap. Despite playing down the likelihood of pole, the Monegasque heads into the session after one of his strongest performances of the weekend and with renewed confidence in the SF-26. Further updates on his season are available in the dedicated Charles Leclerc news section.
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