Hamilton calls Ferrari tyre warm-up 'nuts' after Dutch GP qualifying

Lewis Hamilton has slammed Ferrari's tyre preparation as "nuts" after Dutch Grand Prix qualifying, revealing he needed two warm-up laps to bring his Pirellis up to temperature while McLaren and Mercedes rivals managed with just one. The extra time left the seven-time champion fifth on the grid, more than three-tenths adrift of pole-sitter Lando Norris, and exposed a critical operational weakness for the SF-26 at Zandvoort.

Why it matters:

Tyre temperature is everything in modern Formula 1 qualifying, and Ferrari's inability to fire up its rubber as quickly as rivals cost both Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc dearly. With rain threatening the closing minutes of the session, the additional 75 seconds Hamilton spent preparing for his push lap could have completely derailed Ferrari's qualifying had conditions deteriorated earlier.

The details:

• Hamilton qualified fifth with a 1:11.494, with Leclerc sixth, as both drivers struggled to extract maximum performance from the SF-26 on a single preparation lap.
• The seven-time champion explained that even after an outlap and a dedicated prep lap, his tyres were still not ready for Turn 1, leaving him without the confidence to attack the corner properly.
• McLaren and Mercedes drivers posted competitive times after minimal warm-up, suggesting Ferrari is lagging behind on tyre operations or car characteristics in cooler conditions.
• Hamilton also experienced front-right locking after setup changes carried over from Sprint qualifying, though he maintained that tyre temperature remained the primary culprit for the pace deficit.

What's next:

Despite the setback, Hamilton found positives in improved car balance and pointed to Leclerc's stronger Sprint race pace as evidence Ferrari could recover ground on Sunday. If the SF-26's gentle approach to tyre warm-up translates to better degradation over a race distance, the Scuderia might turn its qualifying weakness into a strategic advantage, though solving the issue remains essential.