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Lewis Hamilton reveals ‘nuts’ Ferrari problem in Dutch GP qualifying ZANDVOORT – Lewis Hamilton has labelled as ‘nuts’ just how much of an advantage Ferrari’s rivals had in one key area during qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix. Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc qualified fifth and sixth, respectively, for Sunday’s race in the Netherlands. Lewis Hamilton reveals Ferrari’s tyre problem at the Dutch Grand Prix With a 1:11.494, Hamilton’s time was just over three-tenths of a second off the pole position time set by McLaren’s Lando Norris. The seven-time F1 World Champion set his best time on his final lap of qualifying, having needed to do two tyre preparation laps to get his Pirellis to optimal temperature. With rivals such as McLaren and Mercedes popping in fast times with just a single preparation lap, the extra 75 seconds or so that Hamilton needed could have had repercussions had the looming rain struck in the final minutes of the session. Indeed, even this extra time the SF-26 needed to reach optimal temperature wasn’t quite enough, with Hamilton revealing how approaching Turn 1 on this third lap out of the pits was still nerve-wracking. “I think the tyres were the biggest culprit today. Just really struggling to get the tyres to work, and it was like… they’re kind of in,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com, following qualifying. “They’re not really in in the first sector, that’s where we lost most of our time. And then they get better through the lap. “I do an out lap and a prep lap, and the tyres are still not ready for Turn 1. It’s just nuts. So I just don’t have the confidence to attack Turn 1.” Following suit on a single outlap was never possible for Ferrari, Hamilton explained, saying, “I couldn’t do an outlap and straight in, the tyres were cold, basically. “So I don’t know how [rivals] did that at the end. We couldn’t. So, luckily, the rain didn’t come, and we got another lap in. “I think that was the biggest difference today.” More on Lewis Hamilton Hamilton left puzzled by Ferrari pace mystery Lewis Hamilton reveals key Ferrari change behind his F1 2026 resurgence Asked whether that meant other teams were doing a better job than Ferrari on operations regarding tyre preparations, Hamilton said, “I think so. I mean, they definitely did yesterday and they did today as well.” Having gone off into the gravel at Turn 1 early in the session, Hamilton said a change in setup from the Sprint to main qualifying had induced some unwanted behaviour. “I was struggling with locking,” he said. “I didn’t have it through the rest of the weekend, and now, with the setup that I have, I started locking the front right. But I think it was mostly tyre temperature.” Despite this extra consideration, Hamilton revealed that his setup changes from the Sprint had largely resulted in a positive feeling in terms of balance. “I was much, much happier in the car in quali, thankfully,” he said. “But it’s not that helpful when you… it’s like, when it comes to building confidence, you’re putting it in, brick by brick. You’re putting it down, building a wall. “I knocked down that confidence that I had in P1, didn’t have it through Sprint Qualifying, and then I just basically started building again. “The car was much better and I’m much happier with it. I’m excited for tomorrow.” Given the difficulties for Ferrari in building tyre temperature for a qualifying lap, this could turn into a durability advantage over a race distance and, certainly, in the Sprint race, Leclerc successfully kept his soft tyres alive for the 24-lap attack that saw him keep winner George Russell in his sights at the chequered flag. “I think our race pace was better today,” he said, when asked if there is a positive to be taken into race day from the discovered qualifying characteristics. “Mine wasn’t great, but Charles’s particularly was good, and I think the car the car feels much better. “I think it’s going to be better tomorrow. We’ll probably be able to hold on to the guys up ahead at least.” Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists. You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more! Read Next: Lando Norris explains McLaren changes behind ‘surprise’ Dutch GP pole