Lewis Hamilton admits Ferrari changes flipped car on its head
Lewis Hamilton said subtle Ferrari setup changes between Friday practice and Sprint Qualifying at Zandvoort "flipped the car on its head," leaving him with no confidence in the balance. The seven-time champion recovered to qualify fifth for the Dutch Grand Prix after further tweaks, and now believes Ferrari can challenge the top four on race pace.
Hamilton's roller-coaster Dutch Grand Prix weekend captured how finely balanced Formula 1 setups can be — and how quickly they can unravel. After a strong Friday practice in the top four, the Briton and Ferrari made what he described as subtle changes to address areas he felt could still improve. Instead of unlocking pace, the adjustments sent his SF-26 in the opposite direction.
Key Takeaways
- Hamilton said Ferrari's subtle setup changes before Sprint Qualifying made his car "horrible" and destroyed his confidence in the balance.
- Further adjustments before main qualifying flipped the car back, helping him recover from P7 in the Sprint to fifth on the Dutch GP grid.
- Teammate Charles Leclerc qualified sixth after his own setup struggles, despite finishing second in the Sprint.
- Hamilton remains second in the 2026 drivers' championship, 53 points behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
- Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said recent SF-26 upgrades, including a new floor, are performing as expected.
What changes did Hamilton say flipped his Ferrari?
Speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying, Hamilton explained that his car felt "great" and consistent during Friday's sole practice session at Circuit Zandvoort. Convinced there were still gains to find, Ferrari made subtle setup changes aimed at fixing those areas.
"It flipped the car on its head and it was horrible through Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint," Hamilton said, according to ESPN. He added that he had "no confidence in the balance" and was effectively "learning a new car again" once those changes carried into qualifying.
How did Hamilton recover to qualify fifth?
Hamilton's Sprint weekend looked bleak early on. He failed to progress in the 24-lap Sprint event and finished seventh, after an uncomfortable Sprint Qualifying session. Ferrari then reworked his setup with overtaking in mind — a critical priority at Zandvoort, where passing is notoriously difficult.
The turnaround was dramatic. Hamilton told Formula 1 that the adjustments made an "unbelievable" difference despite not looking major on paper. He wound up fifth on the grid, just over three tenths off George Russell's pole time, and pipped Leclerc to head Ferrari's third-row lockout behind the Mercedes and McLaren cars.
Why are Hamilton and Leclerc split on Ferrari's Zandvoort changes?
While Hamilton raved about the qualifying-day improvements — saying he was "so much happier with the car" — Leclerc offered a contrasting assessment. The Monegasque qualified sixth after changing engine modes between Q1, Q2 and Q3, which he said left the car "doing different things underneath me."
Leclerc's weekend had started brightly. He finished second in the Sprint, overtaking Lando Norris with six laps remaining on soft tyres. Yet he never looked like a pole contender in qualifying, telling Sky Sports he lost performance and "at no time during qualifying [did I have] the potential of pole."
Can Hamilton still challenge for the Dutch GP win?
Despite starting fifth, Hamilton sounded upbeat about Sunday's race. He pointed to stronger race pace — particularly from Leclerc during the Sprint — and said Ferrari's car was "in a better place" after the qualifying setup work. He believes strategy and execution could put the Scuderia in the mix with Norris, Russell, Antonelli and Piastri ahead.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur echoed that optimism, noting Ferrari's strong Sprint race pace and the likelihood of a two- or three-stop strategy opening up opportunities. Hamilton, who took his first Ferrari win at Barcelona-Catalunya in June, will need every bit of that pace at a track where on-track overtaking is limited — a setup saga that fits neatly among other unpredictable sports twists in our Bizarre News & Florida Man coverage.