Leclerc Seeks Miracle After Challenging Friday At Zandvoort

Charles Leclerc acknowledged that Ferrari faced a challenging Friday at the Dutch Grand Prix, describing it as their toughest of the season. Lando Norris led both practice sessions in Zandvoort, with Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri following closely. Leclerc, who secured pole position in Hungary, struggled to match the leaders' pace.

Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, his Ferrari teammate, finished outside the top 13 in the first practice. They improved slightly to eighth and sixth in the second session but remained nearly a second behind Norris. "I would sum it up as a very, very, very difficult Friday probably the worst Friday of the season, which is right after the holidays, so it's a bit of a wake-up call," said Leclerc.

Leclerc expressed concerns about Ferrari's performance, noting that McLaren and Aston Martin seemed to have an edge. "I think McLaren is in a league of its own with Aston Martin," he remarked. Despite improvements from FP1 to FP2, Ferrari was still far from their desired performance level.

Both Leclerc and Hamilton showed competitiveness in the first sector but consistently lost time in the middle sector due to long-radius corners. This has been a known weakness for Ferrari's 2025 car. "We are losing basically 90 per cent of the time in two corners," Leclerc explained.

Despite spinning twice during Friday's sessions, Hamilton remained optimistic about qualifying on Saturday. He attributed his spins to pushing too hard but believed progress was being made. "It's not been the worst of days. We were making progress," Hamilton stated.

The seven-time world champion noted that while they were significantly off pace in FP1, improvements were made over lunch. However, he acknowledged there was still work needed on the setup. "Pace-wise, I don't know how we will find eight tenths, but we will try our best," he added.

Leclerc remains hopeful for improvement despite acknowledging that turning things around won't be easy. He highlighted how unexpected it was to secure pole position in Budapest earlier this season and expressed determination to make a miracle happen this weekend.