Fred Vasseur: “Charles Leclerc made a mistake in Q3, but the real problem started yesterday” | Dutch GP qualifying. Ferrari struggles in qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix,.

Once again, a subdued qualifying session for Ferrari in the Netherlands, with Frederic Vasseur explaining what happened: today’s problems all stem from yesterday’s difficult day.

The checkered flag has fallen on the 15th qualifying session of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Once again here in the Netherlands, Ferrari finished quietly with several challenges: team principal Frederic Vasseur explained what went wrong, highlighting how some issues from yesterday affected today’s on-track activities.

Sixth and seventh place. 1:09.340 and 1:09.390, the lap times of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, more than half a second behind the two McLarens ahead. From the very first laps of the weekend, the situation was clear. The SF-25 does not suit the characteristics of the Zandvoort circuit. After yesterday’s enormous difficulties, including spins and off-track excursions, today’s performance was slightly better.

Entering the final qualifying session “without problems,” the goal for the two Ferrari drivers was the second row, fighting with Max Verstappen and George Russell. Instead, in the end, both Ferrari SF-25 cars were even outpaced by Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, which finished fourth. After the session, Fred Vasseur explained today’s situation: “Everyone is very close. Within a tenth of a second, there are many drivers, but for us it was impossible to find that today. Charles also said he made a mistake in turn 10 that perhaps cost us the second row.” – the French manager pointed out.

“If we struggled today, however, it is largely due to what happened yesterday. We need to try to start strong from Friday because then improving by over a second on Saturday is too much for everyone, and it’s easier to make a mistake.” On Lewis Hamilton, he added: “He has had, so far, an excellent weekend. Yesterday’s mistakes were due to pushing too hard from the first laps. It is a positive sign that after the summer break he was able to come back in such good form, close even to Charles Leclerc. Unfortunately, yesterday we struggled because we couldn’t find the ideal window.”