Ferrari came within just 0.055 seconds of Sprint pole at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc taking third place after extracting almost everything from the SF-26 at Zandvoort. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, had to settle for seventh after mistakes on his decisive SQ3 lap prevented him from matching his team-mate’s performance.
There had still been work to do on the SF-26 following FP1 at round 12 of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Ferrari had shown excellent potential during the only free practice session but had not managed to exploit it fully. With the Dutch Grand Prix running to the Sprint format, the Scuderia then moved directly into the first qualifying session of the weekend, where both drivers were looking to establish themselves in the battle at the front. The full Dutch GP Sprint Qualifying results ultimately left Ferrari extremely close to pole with Charles Leclerc.
Dutch GP SQ1: Ferrari studies the SF-26 on Medium tyres
For their first runs, both Ferrari cars headed onto the circuit on Pirelli’s yellow-marked Medium tyres. Getting the tyres properly activated was an important part of the programme because at Zandvoort, reaching the target operating temperature and keeping it there throughout the lap is one of the main factors determining available grip and outright performance.
After just one lap, the tyres were not yet ready. Ferrari’s race engineers communicated that over the radio, explaining that the hysteresis cycle had not been completed properly enough. Once the tyres finally entered the required working window, the two SF-26 cars began their flying laps and the initial times were encouraging.
The handling was good, although not quite as strong as the car theoretically appeared capable of delivering. Nevertheless, the overall picture remained positive, particularly because it was still too early to establish the true competitive order. Ferrari had already identified tyre preparation and car balance as crucial areas around a circuit where the SF-26’s characteristics could suit Zandvoort.
Charles Leclerc went again and improved beyond his team-mate’s time. Lewis Hamilton was also preparing another attempt, but heavy traffic forced the British driver to back off. Race engineer Carlo Santi reassured Lewis Hamilton that there was still plenty of time available for another lap.
Lewis Hamilton started that attempt but did not need to complete it because qualification for SQ2 was already comfortably secured.
Dutch GP SQ2: Ferrari cannot quite produce the perfect lap
The intensity increased in SQ2. Progressing through the opening phase had not posed any real problem for Ferrari, but tyre behaviour remained an area to monitor. There appeared to be a slight difficulty in managing the tyres or, more precisely, in bringing them up to temperature in exactly the right way before beginning the flying lap.
Both Ferraris left the garage on another set of Medium tyres. Once properly activated, the SF-26 appeared relatively comfortable on that compound. In terms of handling, the car did not suffer from a clear lack of rotation, although consistently hitting the apex was not always straightforward.
The same applied to the direction change at Turn 3, a part of the Zandvoort circuit that has historically been particularly complicated to negotiate cleanly.
The first serious attempt came together quickly. This time Charles Leclerc produced the better lap, while Lewis Hamilton did not feel quite as comfortable with the car. There was still no major cause for concern because both drivers had more than enough performance to progress into SQ3.
There was also an important technical change compared with FP1. Ferrari had not fitted its updates during the opening practice session, but the team chose to run them in Sprint Qualifying. The package included the latest SF-26 floor developments for Zandvoort, giving Ferrari its first competitive opportunity to assess the revised specification.
Dutch GP SQ3: Charles Leclerc gives everything but misses pole by 0.055s
SQ3 brought the decisive moment. Wind conditions remained unchanged, something that might appear secondary but can make a significant difference around a circuit with Zandvoort’s characteristics.
The drivers switched to Soft tyres, the softest compound in Pirelli’s range for the weekend. The preparation lap appeared to be slightly slower than on the Mediums as Ferrari worked to bring the tyres into their ideal operating window before attacking on a fresh set.
Lewis Hamilton made a mistake in the opening sector, requiring a strong and rapid correction that inevitably cost him lap time. His third sector was not perfect either, leaving him unable to extract the performance that Ferrari had shown during the earlier stages of Sprint Qualifying.
Charles Leclerc, by contrast, delivered an almost flawless lap. The Monegasque was highly satisfied with the attempt and told the team over the radio that he considered it one of his best performances of the season.
Despite that, it was only enough for third place. Charles Leclerc missed pole position by just 55 milliseconds, an exceptionally small margin considering how close he felt his lap had been to the maximum available from the SF-26.
Lewis Hamilton takes P7 as Ferrari considers another set-up adjustment
Lewis Hamilton ultimately finished seventh and was forced to accept a much more difficult starting position for the Sprint. As had already emerged during the analysis of FP1, every small detail was capable of making a difference at Zandvoort, and Sprint Qualifying demonstrated exactly that.
Ferrari can nevertheless take encouragement from the speed shown by Charles Leclerc and from the fact that the revised car immediately came within 0.055 seconds of pole. The team had arrived at Zandvoort with an extensive SF-26 aerodynamic development package, and Sprint Qualifying offered the first indication of its potential in competitive conditions.
Attention now turns to Saturday’s Sprint. Ferrari knows there could also be an opportunity to make another small set-up adjustment before the weekend’s second qualifying session, potentially making tyre activation easier and helping the SF-26 deliver even more performance over a flying lap.
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