Lewis Hamilton revealed over Ferrari team radio that tyre warm-up problems were a major factor in the Scuderia’s difficult Dutch Grand Prix qualifying at Zandvoort. The SF-26 required two preparation laps to generate tyre temperature, while Ferrari’s rivals were able to complete only one, yet the extra warm-up still failed to produce the qualifying performance the team had expected.
Ferrari arrived at Zandvoort hoping to begin the second half of the season strongly. The SF-26 remained a fundamentally sound platform and was set to receive further aerodynamic and power-unit development, giving the Maranello team reason to believe it could put greater pressure on its rivals and make a more decisive attempt to reopen the Constructors’ Championship fight. So far, however, the reality on track has not matched those expectations.
Ferrari struggles again at Zandvoort
From Friday onwards in the Netherlands, Ferrari found the circuit particularly difficult. Zandvoort has regularly caused problems for the Scuderia since 2021, and the trend continued with the SF-26 appearing to be the third force during both Sprint Qualifying and the main Grand Prix qualifying session, behind McLaren and Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ended Dutch Grand Prix qualifying in fifth and sixth respectively, without ever having a car capable of consistently matching the leading contenders. The result was particularly frustrating because Ferrari used two tyre warm-up laps compared with the single preparation lap completed by its rivals, theoretically giving the SF-26 a better opportunity to bring the tyres into their operating window.
The difficulties fit into the wider analysis of Ferrari’s Zandvoort qualifying performance, where tyre activation emerged as one of the key issues affecting the SF-26 when the decisive lap times were required.
SF-26 set-up and tyre temperatures under scrutiny
Ferrari’s difficulties around Zandvoort could be described as a recurring problem given the team’s recent record at the Dutch circuit, but the characteristics of the SF-26 and its adaptation to the North Sea track also appear relevant. The car’s set-up was far from straightforward, while Ferrari was simultaneously evaluating an updated floor during a Sprint weekend with very limited practice time.
The new SF-26 floor introduced for Zandvoort therefore had to be incorporated into the weekend programme without the amount of comparative running and subsequent fine-tuning that would normally be possible during a conventional Grand Prix format.
One particularly revealing indication was Ferrari’s need for a double preparation lap. The requirement suggested that the SF-26 was struggling to generate enough tyre temperature and place the compounds inside the correct operating window. That characteristic could potentially become less damaging over a race distance, but it represented a clear disadvantage when outright qualifying performance was required.
The Ferrari also appeared nervous and less stable than desired through the Dutch dunes, reinforcing the impression that the car was not operating in its ideal performance window.
Lewis Hamilton reveals Ferrari’s tyre warm-up problem on team radio
The clearest confirmation arrived after qualifying, when Lewis Hamilton discussed the session with race engineer Carlo Santi over team radio. The British driver directly highlighted the difficulty Ferrari had experienced in generating sufficient tyre temperature.
Carlo Santi: “Well done, Lewis. We’re P5, Lando Norris is on pole, three tenths faster.”
Lewis Hamilton: “I struggled a lot to warm up the tyres, mate.”
The exchange reinforces the tyre preparation problem already identified by Lewis Hamilton following qualifying. Ferrari had needed two warm-up laps while its main rivals required only one, meaning the additional preparation did not translate into the expected performance advantage.
The issue was also highlighted by Fred Vasseur when analysing Ferrari’s qualifying difficulties. The team principal acknowledged that the Scuderia had struggled to choose between completing a preparation lap and attacking immediately, while McLaren interpreted the conditions more effectively. His full assessment of Ferrari’s Dutch GP qualifying setback and tyre strategy also underlined how small differences in preparation could translate into several grid positions.
Ferrari must understand why its rivals warmed the tyres faster
For Lewis Hamilton, the central issue is therefore not simply the final lap time but why Ferrari required more preparation than McLaren and Mercedes in the same conditions. If the tyres take longer to reach their ideal temperature, the driver has less flexibility when timing a qualifying run and becomes more vulnerable to traffic, weather changes and rapidly evolving track conditions.
That became particularly relevant at Zandvoort, where the combination of cool conditions and a narrow tyre operating window made preparation critical. Ferrari had hoped the double warm-up would provide the necessary grip, but the radio message from Lewis Hamilton made clear that sufficient temperature was still difficult to generate.
The Maranello team will now need to understand whether the problem was primarily linked to set-up, tyre preparation or the way the SF-26 interacted with the specific Zandvoort conditions. For Lewis Hamilton, it represents another area to analyse as Ferrari continues developing the car during the second half of the campaign. Further updates on the seven-time world champion’s season are available in our dedicated Lewis Hamilton Ferrari coverage.
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