By: Weather proved a tyrant. Today, that really is the right way to put it, even though we already know what you will say: the weather is the same for everyone. If that was your thought, you are absolutely right. The weather itself was not the real problem, but it prompted the team to adopt procedural measures that exposed too great a gap between the potential shown by the SF-26 yesterday and today.
The mood of the team principal, Leclerc and Hamilton at the end of qualifying was clear for all to see. They were all disappointed, for one reason only: they had expected a better result.
What went wrong, and why did the weather matter?
Leclerc was never the fastest across the three qualifying sessions, but in all three there were moments when he was able to remain close to the front-runners’ times. Then, in Q3, on the final run, something changed: the threat of rain arrived.
On the first attempt, immediately after leaving the pits, the forecast predicted rain in 5 minutes. There was enough margin for two preparation laps and Leclerc was indeed well placed: fourth, on the second row, ahead of Antonelli. For the top four, it was an order not far removed from that seen in the Sprint. However, the rain was delayed and, when they left the pits for the second attempt, the forecast gave just one minute before it would arrive. It was here that Ferrari’s technical limitations emerged.
The SF-26’s technical limitations
At least here in the Netherlands, the SF-26 required a low-energy track, two preparation laps to bring the tyres up to temperature and properly recharge the batteries. Instead, the team found itself having to change its plan twice. As they left the garage, they probably set everything up for just one out-lap, but when they learned that the rain would only arrive after qualifying, the drivers opted for a second preparation lap. By then, however, the entire optimisation phase before the flying lap had become a Picasso painting.
Mercedes is very strong in terms of energy management, while McLaren appears to have genuinely understood how to exploit it, extracting its potential especially on days like this, when conditions threaten to change very quickly and force drivers to skip the usual out-lap procedure.
Ferrari has technical limitations in this area. Hamilton and Leclerc are not yet able to do it. Tyre preparation and management, as well as lap preparation in energy terms, were all issues addressed — and therefore confirmed — by Frederic Vasseur in the afternoon. This was his explanation for the step backwards taken in qualifying today. The SF-26 has limitations that will need to be investigated and addressed ahead of 2027.
Cover and interior photos (all) by Luca Martini / WHYOUT Images
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Dutch GP 2026
