Ferrari made an encouraging start to the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton finishing fourth in the only free practice session at Zandvoort, 0.190 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc followed in fifth at 0.289 seconds. Even more intriguingly, the SF-26 may not yet have shown its full potential, with the new floor reportedly left off the cars during FP1 and potentially reserved for Sprint qualifying.
The opening session therefore delivered positive signs for the Maranello team before the weekend moves immediately into competitive action. Ferrari looked particularly convincing during its longer runs, while its final Soft-tyre qualifying simulations were less impressive. With only one practice session available, however, it remains too early to establish a reliable competitive hierarchy.
Ferrari starts Dutch GP strongly with important SF-26 upgrades in reserve
Zandvoort represents an important weekend for the Scuderia, which has arrived in the Netherlands with further developments, particularly around the floor. The latest work forms part of Ferrari’s third SF-26 upgrade package for Zandvoort, as Maranello continues trying to extract more performance from its 2026 car.
Ferrari hopes this aerodynamic step can deliver another improvement before ADUO 2 is expected to arrive at the following race in Monza. The two consecutive weekends could therefore prove crucial for the Prancing Horse, particularly in the World Championship fight currently involving Ferrari and Mercedes. The planned Monza power-unit development will add another important element to that technical push.
On paper, Zandvoort’s characteristics should suit the SF-26. However, that expectation needs to be treated cautiously, given how frequently the new generation of Formula 1 cars has produced unpredictable changes in the competitive order.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton start FP1 on intermediates
Rain in the hours before practice left the circuit damp, prompting Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to begin their first runs on intermediate tyres. After only a few laps on that compound, both Ferrari drivers returned to the pits before switching to Medium tyres as conditions improved sufficiently for slicks.
The first proper stint was highly encouraging. Leclerc ended that phase at the top of the timesheets after moving ahead of Hamilton on his final attempt, leaving the two SF-26s first and second at that stage of the session.
More importantly than the outright lap times, the car appeared balanced and stable, with no obvious major weaknesses emerging during the opening runs. That represented a promising starting point for a team facing the additional pressure of a Sprint weekend, where engineers have very limited time to refine the set-up.
Ferrari impresses in Sprint race simulation
For their second runs, Leclerc and Hamilton returned to the circuit using the same sets of Medium tyres they had already run earlier. This time the programme shifted towards longer running, with Ferrari carrying out a race-pace simulation aimed specifically at gathering information for the Sprint.
The results were again encouraging. Both drivers produced a strong simulation, particularly during the opening phase of the stint. A small amount of degradation became visible towards the end, but Ferrari nevertheless appeared to be among the quickest cars on track, if not the outright fastest during this phase.
The strength of those longer runs provides another useful reference point as the Scuderia assesses the behaviour of its latest aerodynamic development. Ferrari’s wider work on SF-26 aerodynamic efficiency at Zandvoort is intended to improve the car’s overall operating window as development continues through the second half of the season.
Soft-tyre qualifying runs prove more difficult for the SF-26
The final part of FP1 was dedicated to single-lap simulations using the Soft compound. It was during this phase that Ferrari appeared to encounter more difficulty compared with its earlier running.
Hamilton ultimately completed the session in fourth place, 0.190 seconds behind Antonelli, while Leclerc finished immediately behind his team-mate in fifth, 0.289 seconds off the fastest time. The final classification therefore looked less commanding than Ferrari’s earlier race-pace work, although the overall start to the weekend remained positive.
Drawing firm conclusions from those positions would be premature. With this being the only free practice session of the Sprint weekend, the teams followed different programmes and had little opportunity to explore every set-up direction before moving into qualifying conditions.
New Ferrari floor could appear for Sprint qualifying
The most significant question now concerns Ferrari’s new floor. Giuliano Duchessa reported that the updated specification was not fitted during FP1, meaning the latest component could make its first appearance only from Sprint qualifying onwards.
That would leave Ferrari with the possibility of introducing an additional performance element after already showing encouraging pace on the existing specification. However, another option remains on the table: the team could decide to retain the current floor after the strength demonstrated during practice.
The decision adds another layer of intrigue to an already compressed weekend. Mercedes enters Sprint qualifying as the favourite, while McLaren is also expected to be firmly involved after its recent upgrades. Red Bull should not be overlooked either, having followed a different working programme from its main rivals during free practice.
For Ferrari, the morning nevertheless provided a solid foundation. Strong Medium-tyre pace, a stable SF-26 and competitive early running all offered encouragement, while the potential introduction of the new floor means there could still be more performance to uncover. The next opportunity to understand the real order will come in Sprint qualifying, where the Scuderia’s latest technical choices will face their first competitive test.
Further developments throughout the season can be followed in our Ferrari technical analysis coverage, including the latest SF-26 aerodynamic and power-unit changes.
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