Podium Would Be a Miracle, Reckons Charles Leclerc After Tough Qualifying at Dutch GP

Podium Would Be a Miracle, Reckons Charles Leclerc After Tough Qualifying at Dutch GP

Ferrari’s underwhelming form continued at the Dutch GP qualifying on Saturday, with Charles Leclerc finishing only in P6. The Monegasque driver is not optimistic about Sunday’s Grand Prix and admitted that a podium finish looks unlikely.

The narrow and twisty layout of the Zandvoort circuit makes it a challenging track for overtaking. With the SF-24’s pace significantly slower than the top three teams—Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull—Leclerc is not optimistic about achieving a good result.

After qualifying, the 26-year-old said, “The podium tomorrow would be a miracle. Especially on a track like this. Our pace wasn’t bad, but on this track, it’s hard to overtake.”

That being said, Leclerc is committed to doing his best to secure the maximum amount of points for the team. “Tomorrow I’ll put my helmet on and try to do everything I can,” concluded Leclerc.

The 2024 Monaco GP winner was not the only Ferrari team member who was disappointed with how qualifying went. Carlos Sainz was knocked out in Q2 and will start the race from eleventh on the grid.

Ferrari have a historical disadvantage at the Dutch GP

Ferrari has lost a lot of ground to its rivals since Leclerc’s win in Monaco. The upgrades introduced have not been able to keep them on equal footing with Mercedes and McLaren, who have become regular contenders for wins.

Moreover, team principal Fred Vasseur is aware that the Dutch GP layout has never been kind to Ferrari’s design concept. He explained, “We were expecting a tough weekend here in Zandvoort. Last year it was one of our worst races, mainly because of the configuration of the track.” 

The Frenchman added that a lack of upgrades for this weekend will also not help the team’s cause.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
carlos sainz Charles Leclerc Dutch GP ferrari

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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