Lewis Hamilton Puzzled by Ferrari Mystery in Dutch GP Sprint Qualifying
Hamilton said subtle Ferrari changes made his SF-26 feel different in sprint qualifying, where he finished 0.5 seconds behind Charles Leclerc.
- George Russell claimed pole position for Saturday's 24-lap sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton qualified seventh, finishing half a second behind teammate Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari.
- Hamilton made "subtle adjustments" to his SF-26 between Friday's practice and qualifying, but the vehicle became a "completely different car" once the session began, causing his early promise to fade.
- Hamilton's sole SQ3 attempt was compromised after encountering Gabriel Bortoleto's Audi on his warm-up lap, preventing ideal tire preparation; he acknowledged, "Not a good session, unfortunately, this is the way it is."
- Charles Leclerc excelled in the other Ferrari, qualifying third and describing his effort as his "best qualifying lap this year," noting the team is "doing something right with the feeling."
- Hamilton trails Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 50 points in the world championship, with Antonelli starting the sprint fifth; Ferrari stated it will "look at the data and then make a determination" on strategy adjustments.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Lewis Hamilton confused by handling drop as sprint qualifying falters at Dutch GP
Lewis Hamilton Struggles to Explain Sprint Qualifying Setback at Dutch GP Lewis Hamilton experienced a puzzling drop in performance during the sprint qualifying session at the Dutch Grand Prix, leaving the seven-time world champion searching for answers. After a promising start to the weekend, Hamilton finished FP1 on Friday in fourth place, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Yet, when it came time for the sprint shootout, Hamilton fell back …
Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in the Dutch Grand Prix Sprint, after taking the start in the same place. The Ferrari driver did not manage to get rid of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen in front of him, so he had to settle for this place, while having a lack of ease at the wheel of the SF-26, as at the Sprint qualifying contest at the end of Friday. The seven-time world champion reveals that he made adjustments after the first tests (...)
Russell Edges Norris for Dutch GP Sprint Pole as Hamilton Left Baffled by Ferrari
source: motorsport George Russell opened the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 season with sprint qualifying pole at Zandvoort on Friday, August 21, setting a lap of 1:11.567 to beat Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc by less than a tenth of a second. The session marked F1's return from its four-week summer break, with Round 12 of the campaign getting underway at the Dutch Grand Prix. As Sky Sports reported, Russell claimed his third sprint pole i…
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