Lewis Hamilton could only manage seventh in Dutch GP sprint qualifying after unexplained handling changes, while Charles Leclerc qualified third, just 0.055s from pole.
On its F1 swansong, Zandvoort's sprint qualifying produced a tight three-team battle at the front, with Mercedes' George Russell taking pole ahead of Lando Norris and Leclerc as the top five were covered by just a tenth of a second. Hamilton was the outlier, beaten by home hero Max Verstappen's Red Bull.
Hamilton struggled with an unsettled SF-26 in SQ3 after subtle set-up changes appeared to transform the car's handling between practice and qualifying. "It was not a good session, unfortunately," he said, losing 0.624s to pole. "FP1 felt good. We made subtle adjustments, but when we got into qualifying, it was a completely different car."
Leclerc, in contrast, felt his lap that yielded third was his best qualifying effort of the season. "I think it's my best qualifying lap this year," he said. "That means we are doing something right with the feeling. It's a good step in the right direction, especially after such a long break."
With only a single practice session, further affected by damp conditions, race pace remains a question mark. Leclerc acknowledged, "In terms of race pace, it's a bit more difficult. But I believe it looks like a positive start to the weekend."
Hamilton's struggles highlight Ferrari's ongoing challenge to extract consistent performance from the SF-26, and the team will need to quickly resolve these issues to compete in the 24-lap sprint.
Baca Juga
James Vowles mengaku khawatir kehilangan Alex Albon dan Carlos Sainz setelah Williams terpuruk di 2026. Keduanya bertahan dan beri stabilitas.
Racing Bulls menunda keputusan masa depan Liam Lawson dan Arvid Lindblad. Stabilitas setelah kontrak baru Max Verstappen dan performa junior jadi pertimbangan.
Lewis Hamilton hanya P7 di sprint qualifying GP Belanda karena perubahan setelan membuat Ferrari 'berbeda total', sementara Charles Leclerc P3 dengan lap terbaiknya musim ini.
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