Karun Chandhok believes a lack of confidence in the Ferrari SF-26 played a major role in Lewis Hamilton’s deficit to Charles Leclerc during Sprint Qualifying for the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. While Leclerc secured third place and a position near the front of the grid, Hamilton could manage only seventh after a difficult final run at Zandvoort.
The difference between the Ferrari drivers became particularly striking in SQ3. Charles Leclerc finished just 0.055 seconds away from Sprint pole, while Lewis Hamilton ended the session more than half a second behind his team-mate on their final flying laps. That contrast was enough to attract Chandhok’s attention as he analysed where Hamilton was losing time around the Dutch circuit.
Karun Chandhok pinpoints Lewis Hamilton’s loss of confidence at Zandvoort
Analysing the two Ferrari laps for Sky Sports F1 after Sprint Qualifying, former Formula 1 driver Karun Chandhok concluded that the biggest weakness was not necessarily through Turns 9 and 10. Instead, he identified the medium- and high-speed sections as the areas in which Hamilton was giving away more time to Leclerc.
Chandhok also noted that Hamilton ran slightly too deep into the chicane, which cost him additional time and contributed to what he regarded as an untidy SQ3 lap. More broadly, the former F1 driver felt Hamilton did not appear fully comfortable or confident enough in the SF-26 to attack the lap in the same way as his team-mate.
That analysis came after a session in which Charles Leclerc finished P3 while Lewis Hamilton qualified P7, producing sharply contrasting outcomes for Ferrari despite the underlying competitiveness of the car.
Ferrari set-up changes altered Hamilton’s feeling with the SF-26
Chandhok linked Hamilton’s lack of confidence to the Ferrari driver’s own explanation of what had changed before Sprint Qualifying. Hamilton indicated that subtle adjustments had been made to the SF-26 set-up after practice, but he had not expected those changes to leave the car feeling completely different once qualifying began.
The seven-time world champion therefore found himself dealing with a car that no longer provided the same feeling he had experienced earlier in the day. Chandhok interpreted that change in behaviour as a likely reason Hamilton was unable to commit fully in the faster corners, where confidence is particularly important at Zandvoort.
The difference was especially significant because Leclerc was able to extract considerably more from the Ferrari when it mattered. The Monegasque driver came within 0.055 seconds of pole, underlining the pace available in the SF-26 during the decisive phase of the session. A closer look at Charles Leclerc’s near-miss for Sprint pole highlighted just how competitive Ferrari was at the front.
Half-second gap to Charles Leclerc leaves Hamilton with work to do
For Hamilton, starting seventh creates a considerably more difficult task in Saturday’s Sprint. Zandvoort is also one of the few circuits where the Briton has yet to win in any Formula 1 format, so his route towards changing that record has become more complicated after Sprint Qualifying.
Chandhok suggested Hamilton would inevitably be frustrated by the result, particularly because no driver enjoys being beaten by a team-mate and the final gap was around half a second. However, he also stressed that the wider picture remained more encouraging for the British driver because Ferrari had demonstrated genuine competitiveness.
That broader context is important. The Scuderia’s performance showed that the SF-26 has the pace to challenge near the front at Zandvoort, even though Hamilton was unable to extract the same level of performance as Leclerc in SQ3. The Sprint format at the Dutch Grand Prix also gives teams very little time to refine set-up direction before competitive sessions begin.
Ferrari pace offers Hamilton some encouragement for the Sprint
Despite his own difficult qualifying result, Hamilton can take some encouragement from Ferrari’s overall speed. Leclerc’s place near the front demonstrated that the car was capable of fighting with the leading contenders, while the Briton’s main challenge will be to rediscover the confidence he felt before the set-up changes altered the balance of his SF-26.
Karun Chandhok’s assessment ultimately separated Hamilton’s individual frustration from Ferrari’s broader performance. The seven-time world champion may have been disappointed by the gap to Leclerc and his seventh-place starting position, but the competitiveness of the SF-26 means the underlying potential is still there as the Dutch Grand Prix weekend continues.
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