Charles Leclerc (Ferrari/2nd) is surprised: “It turned out differently than expected”

Only George Russell managed to finish ahead of Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc in the Zandvoort Sprint: second place for the Ferrari driver, 1.3 seconds behind the winner. Leclerc produced the best manoeuvre of the race when he snatched P2 from Lando Norris with a breathtaking move before the Tarzan corner.

Leclerc had taken the risk of starting the 24-lap race on soft tyres (only Haas driver Bearman followed suit), which helped the nine-time Grand Prix winner close in on Norris.

The 28-year-old Leclerc assessed his performance as follows: “We’d done a good job on Friday, and I was convinced I could put in a good sprint.”

“But when the tyre warmers come off the rollers on the starting grid and you’re the only top driver on soft tyres, you naturally ask yourself – this is either absolutely spot on or completely off the mark. As it turned out, our choice was the right one; I got on well with the tyres.”

“As for the attack on Norris: I’d been watching him for laps on end and could see that he wasn’t holding out much electric power at the end of the start-finish straight. So I decided to make my move there.”

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Zandvoort: Qualifying

FIA Formula One World Championship

22.08.2026 - 15:30

“But it wasn’t easy, because I could also see that he was braking for the Tarzan bend at roughly the same point as I was. So I had to pluck up the courage for the attack. Fortunately, it went well.”

“The way the race unfolded surprised me. I’d thought that, thanks to the soft tyres at the start, I’d manage to make up a place, but unfortunately my start wasn’t exactly brilliant, so that didn’t happen.”

“On paper, the soft tyres should have worn out faster than my rivals’ medium ones, but my tyres held up well.”

“As far as handling is concerned, the Ferrari felt just as good as it did on Friday – I really have no complaints there. And that gives me confidence for the Grand Prix qualifying.”