Charles Leclerc overtook Oscar Piastri for fourth place with a superbly executed move on lap 34 of the Dutch Grand Prix, turning an outside approach at Turn 1 into a tighter inside line that gave the Ferrari driver the stronger exit through the opening sequence of corners.
The move immediately improved Ferrari’s position in the race and also increased the pressure on McLaren. After Charles Leclerc moved ahead, Oscar Piastri found himself with Lewis Hamilton closing behind, leaving the McLaren driver facing pressure from both Ferrari cars during a significant phase of the 72-lap race at Zandvoort.
Charles Leclerc overtakes Oscar Piastri with clever Turn 1 switch
Charles Leclerc’s move was not simply a straightforward pass into the first corner. The Ferrari driver initially positioned himself towards the outside as he attacked Oscar Piastri at Turn 1, before cutting underneath the McLaren to improve his exit.
That change of line gave Charles Leclerc the more favourable trajectory into Turns 2 and 3 and allowed him to complete the move for fourth place. On a circuit where positioning through one corner can influence the approach to the next, the Ferrari driver successfully linked the opening sequence together to gain the position.
The overtake was completed on lap 34, moving Charles Leclerc up to fourth as the race approached its halfway stage. The gain put Ferrari one place closer to the front and removed Oscar Piastri from directly ahead of the Monegasque.
Lewis Hamilton adds more Ferrari pressure on Oscar Piastri
The situation became even more uncomfortable for McLaren immediately afterwards. With Charles Leclerc now ahead, Oscar Piastri came under pressure from Lewis Hamilton, giving Ferrari the opportunity to challenge the same McLaren with its second car.
Nothing in that moment guaranteed that Lewis Hamilton would also be able to complete an overtake, but the running order had clearly shifted in Ferrari’s favour. Charles Leclerc had already converted his opportunity into fourth place, while Oscar Piastri was forced to turn his attention towards the other SF-26 behind him.
For Ferrari, the sequence represented an important moment in a race where Charles Leclerc had already made progress from sixth on the grid. His lap-34 pass demonstrated that he was able to turn proximity to the McLaren into an actual position gain rather than remaining trapped behind.
Leclerc’s move changes Ferrari’s immediate Dutch GP battle
The importance of the overtake was straightforward: Charles Leclerc was now fourth, Oscar Piastri had lost a position and Lewis Hamilton had moved into a position to apply further pressure.
Zandvoort does not routinely provide easy overtaking opportunities, making the execution of the move particularly valuable. Charles Leclerc did not complete the pass with one decisive braking manoeuvre alone; instead, he used the entire Turn 1 to Turn 3 sequence to create the better exit and secure the position.
With 38 laps still remaining after the move, the eventual outcome of Ferrari’s Dutch Grand Prix was far from settled. But on lap 34, Charles Leclerc had delivered one of Ferrari’s most productive moments of the race, taking fourth from Oscar Piastri while leaving the McLaren driver with Lewis Hamilton directly applying pressure from behind.
