Charles Leclerc has described Ferrari's start to the Dutch Grand Prix as a "wake-up call" after significant struggles for both him and Lewis Hamilton during Friday's practice sessions at Zandvoort. Both drivers were outside the top 13 in FP1, improving only to eighth (Leclerc) and sixth (Hamilton) in FP2, nearly a second off pace-setter Lando Norris.
Why it matters
After securing pole and fighting for victory in Hungary before the summer break, Ferrari's sudden lack of pace at Zandvoort is alarming. Leclerc labeled it "probably the worst Friday of the season," indicating deeper issues needing urgent attention.
The details
- Leclerc's struggles: "It was a very, very, very, very difficult Friday... a bit of a wake-up call."
- Performance gap: Competitive in Sector 1, but significant time was lost in the middle sector's long-radius corners, a known weakness of Ferrari's current car.
- Specific issues: "We are losing basically 90 per cent of the time in two corners. There's something our car cannot do."
- Outlook: Leclerc doesn't expect a full turnaround, noting McLaren and Aston Martin are "in a league of their own." He hopes for a "miracle" but anticipates a "difficult weekend."
Hamilton's take
Despite two spins, Lewis Hamilton was more optimistic than Leclerc, attributing them to pushing hard and seeing progress. "It's not been the worst of days. We were making progress," Hamilton stated. "We have some work to do with the set-up... we will try our best."
What's next
Both Ferrari and Mercedes face a considerable challenge to understand and rectify their performance issues before qualifying. The substantial gap to front-runners suggests a tough weekend ahead at Zandvoort.