Charles Leclerc has admitted that Ferrari still have a major area to improve in terms of their one-lap pace after a difficult qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix. The Monegasque could only manage sixth on the grid for Sunday's race, despite an impressive showing in the Sprint Race where he finished second.
This qualifying struggle stands in stark contrast to the strong performance Charles Leclerc has shown all weekend. However, when it came to the grid-deciding session, the Ferrari looked unable to match the pace of McLaren and Mercedes, who seemed more comfortable with the Zandvoort track conditions.
According to Leclerc, this outcome was not entirely surprising. Throughout the 2025 season, Ferrari have often shown more impressive race pace than qualifying performance. "It's definitely a tendency where we seem to be faster in the race than we are in qualifying, and qualifying most of the time is a bit more of a struggle," he told media, including Motorsport Week.
This phenomenon is not new in Formula 1. Many teams have experienced something similar, including Ferrari themselves in the past, but in reverse: quick in qualifying yet struggling to hold position during the race. Leclerc acknowledged that ideally the car should be strong in both aspects, but making that change is not as simple as flicking a switch.
"We've got to work on that, but as I was saying this morning in the press conference, it's not black and white. It's not as easy as saying, OK, I'll take a little bit from the race and put it in qualifying or vice versa," explained the driver who is now the backbone of Scuderia Ferrari. "We're trying to make the car as fast as possible, but for the characteristics we have, it works a little bit better in the race than in qualifying. I prefer that way to the other way, but on a track like this, it doesn't help."
Zandvoort is known as a narrow circuit with minimal overtaking opportunities. This weekend's Sprint Race proved just how difficult it is to overtake on the 4.2km track. These conditions make grid position crucial, and starting from P6 is clearly not an ideal spot for Leclerc to fight for a podium.
Then there is the weather threat. Sporadic rain has marked the weekend in the Netherlands since Thursday, and the forecast for race day remains unsettled. Leclerc described these conditions as making the race even more "tricky." He added, "It's going to be tricky, especially because, as we've seen in the last few days, it's not that it's raining for two hours and then it's raining for ten minutes, then sun, then ten minutes, so it's very difficult to read the track conditions."
Despite all these challenges, Leclerc remains optimistic that Ferrari can be competitive in the race. However, he is also aware that improving qualifying performance is a long-term priority if they want to fight for the world championship.
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