Only eighth before his final attempt in Q3, Lewis Hamilton feared another disappointment at Zandvoort. The Briton ultimately snatched fifth place ahead of Charles Leclerc.
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Lewis Hamilton went through all the emotions during the qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix. After a weekend so far complicated at the wheel of his Ferrari, the seven-time world champion was only in eighth position when starting his last fast lap.
A particularly worrying situation as rain threatened to fall on Zandvoort and could prematurely end improvements.
Hamilton finally managed to put together a lap solid enough to climb up to fifth place, ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc. A result that caused real relief.
“Yes, I am grateful to have managed to do it because I think I was eighth or something like that. My heart tightened at that moment,” admits Hamilton.
A Ferrari completely transformed after testing
The Briton’s difficulties are all the more surprising as he had started the weekend with very good feelings. During the only free practice session, Hamilton had finished fourth and was satisfied with the behavior of his SF-26.
Ferrari had nevertheless identified several areas where the car could still improve. Some relatively modest modifications were then made before the Sprint qualifying.
But their impact was much greater than expected.
“We started testing with a car that was excellent and consistent,” explains Hamilton. “Obviously, there are always areas you think you can improve.”
“So we made small changes to try to fix those points, but it completely upset the car. It was horrible during the Sprint qualifying and then throughout the Sprint race.”
Hamilton had finished seventh in both sessions, without really threatening the drivers ahead of him.
“I simply had no confidence in the car’s balance.”
Hamilton had to relearn his Ferrari in a few laps
The reopening of parc fermé after the Sprint allowed Ferrari to intervene more broadly on the settings before the Grand Prix qualifying.
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The engineers thus made several changes to bring the SF-26 closer to the behavior it showed during free practice. Hamilton immediately felt more comfortable but faced another difficulty: understanding this new setup in only a few laps.
“We made all these changes before qualifying. So I found myself again with a new car and a new balance, which I am much more satisfied with.”
“But trying to improve with this car and learn its behavior in only about six laps was a real challenge.”
His last lap finally allowed him to save fifth place and beat Leclerc, sixth.
Hamilton also points out Ferrari’s engine deficit
Despite the progress made on the settings, Hamilton believes Ferrari must also cope with another handicap compared to the cars ahead of it.
The two Mercedes and the two McLaren, all equipped with the Mercedes power unit, will occupy the first four positions on the grid.
“All the cars equipped with the Mercedes engine are ahead and we know we have a small power deficit,” emphasizes Hamilton.
The Briton is nevertheless more optimistic for the 72 laps of the race. The pace shown by Ferrari on long runs, notably with Leclerc’s second place in the Sprint, gives him hope to put more pressure on McLaren and Mercedes.
“I think our race pace should be better tomorrow. As I said, the car is now better for us.”
From fifth position, Hamilton will therefore try to turn Ferrari’s recovery after the Sprint into a new podium, while continuing his fight for the championship.
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