RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 4 sources
Ferrari has a Saturday problem to solve. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in the Dutch Grand Prix Sprint at Zandvoort, 12.188 seconds behind Mercedes winner George Russell , and says the team will change his car before the rest of the weekend continues.
In Friday’s Sprint Qualifying, Hamilton secured seventh place with a time of 1:12.191. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc qualified third after clocking 1:11.622, finishing 0.569 seconds ahead. Russell took pole with a 1:11.567, ahead of Lando Norris at 1:11.608, Leclerc, Oscar Piastri at 1:11.666, and Kimi Antonelli at 1:11.794.
Ferrari’s Fast Car Became a Different Car
The awkward part is that Hamilton was not miles away from the front in the only practice session. He placed fourth, just 0.190 seconds behind Antonelli’s 1:12.949. Ferrari then adjusted Hamilton’s setup before Sprint Qualifying. After the adjustments, Hamilton confirmed that the changes didn’t have the required effect: “Not a good, not a good session,” he said. Formula1.com also quoted him saying, “P1 felt good. We made subtle adjustments to the car, but then we got into qualifying. It was a completely different car.”
That left Ferrari with a split: Leclerc started third and finished second, while Hamilton spent much of the 24-lap Sprint chasing Max Verstappen . Hamilton got within one second of Verstappen with eight laps left, but he could not complete the pass.
Hamilton explained the next step after the Sprint:
“Yeah, it’s the same through qualifying as you would expect, which is a bit frustrating. But I mean, even if the car felt better, it’s so hard to overtake here. So, especially on the same tire. So, yeah, I think we’ll definitely make some changes. Hopefully we can get the car to be a bit better, closer to to to P1 in first practice, and hopefully even fight for that.”
The Championship Margin Is Moving the Wrong Way
Ferrari arrived at Zandvoort with 307 points, while Hamilton was second in the Drivers ’ Championship, 50 points behind Antonelli. Russell trailed Hamilton by 9 points before the Sprint. After Russell gained 8 points and Hamilton gained 2, Russell’s deficit shrank to just 3, while Antonelli’s advantage over Hamilton grew by 3 points.
Ferrari’s Zandvoort upgrade package changes the floor body, floor board, floor edge, diffuser and lower beam wing, aiming to increase downforce and improve airflow through the diffuser rather than addressing a single setup issue. The package was supposed to help Ferrari close on Mercedes, McLaren , and Red Bull after Hamilton’s Barcelona victory and Leclerc’s British Grand Prix win.
Zandvoort gives Ferrari little room for experimentation, and the Sprint’s 24 laps exposed Ferrari’s problem quickly. Ferrari cannot afford another car that changes character the moment qualifying begins.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.