{"id":1050,"date":"2026-08-21T13:12:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1050"},"modified":"2026-08-21T13:12:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:12:58","slug":"charles-leclerc-hails-best-lap-of-the-year-after-taking-3rd-on-dutch-gp-sprint-grid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/charles-leclerc-hails-best-lap-of-the-year-after-taking-3rd-on-dutch-gp-sprint-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"Leclerc hails &#8220;best lap of the year&#8221; after taking 3rd on Dutch GP Sprint grid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Leclerc&#8217;s best lap:<\/strong> Charles Leclerc called his SQ3 attempt the &#8220;best qualifying lap of the year&#8221; after missing out on Sprint pole position by just 0.055s in Zandvoort.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ferrari progress:<\/strong> The Monegasque praised Ferrari&#8217;s setup improvements and <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/ferrari-and-alpine-debut-new-floors-team-updates-at-the-2026-dutch-grand-prix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">floor upgrades introduced for the Dutch GP<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tight title fight:<\/strong> Leclerc lines up behind Sprint pole-sitter George Russell and McLaren&#8217;s Lando Norris, putting three different constructors in the top three positions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charles Leclerc came within fractions of a second of securing pole position for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1<\/a> Dutch Grand Prix Sprint race, finishing third in Friday&#8217;s Sprint Qualifying at Circuit Zandvoort. Despite missing out on top spot, the Ferrari driver hailed his SQ3 effort as his finest qualifying performance of the 2026 season so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leclerc posted a benchmark time of 1:11.622 in his SF-26, ending up just 0.055s behind Sprint pole-sitter George Russell and a mere 0.014s adrift of McLaren&#8217;s Lando Norris. The tiny gap highlighted an incredibly competitive battle between Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari around the narrow coastal track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking after the session, Leclerc highlighted the setup improvements Ferrari made coming out of the summer break following <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/lewis-hamilton-charles-leclerc-and-more-power-unit-component-changes-at-the-dutch-gp\/\">engine component changes introduced at Zandvoort<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It was my best qualifying lap of the year, which means we are doing something right in terms of setup. It doesn&#8217;t mean it will stay like this forever, but it is always good to take steps in the right direction, especially after such a long break,&#8221; Leclerc said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charles Leclerc delivered a stellar SQ3 lap to secure 3rd in Zandvoort (Photo: Scuderia Ferrari)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;So it was good work. Unfortunately, we missed out on pole by just a tiny margin, but we are right in the fight,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Formula 1 action continues at Zandvoort with Saturday&#8217;s Sprint race, followed by main Qualifying for the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> covers all track activities live from Zandvoort with reporter Leonid Kliuev. Follow all paddock updates on our <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/news\/\">news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sprint Qualifying Top 5 Results: Dutch Grand Prix 2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Pos<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Driver<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Time<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Gap<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>1<\/strong><\/td><td>George Russell<\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:11.567<\/td><td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>2<\/strong><\/td><td>Lando Norris<\/td><td>McLaren<\/td><td>1:11.608<\/td><td>+0.041s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>3<\/strong><\/td><td>Charles Leclerc<\/td><td>Ferrari<\/td><td>1:11.622<\/td><td>+0.055s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>4<\/strong><\/td><td>Oscar Piastri<\/td><td>McLaren<\/td><td>1:11.666<\/td><td>+0.099s<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>5<\/strong><\/td><td>Andrea Kimi Antonelli<\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:11.794<\/td><td>+0.227s<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Session schedule: Dutch Grand Prix 2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Session<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Local time (CEST)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>UTC<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Free Practice 1<\/strong><\/td><td>Friday, August 21 \u2013 12:30<\/td><td>10:30<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Sprint Qualifying<\/strong><\/td><td>Friday, August 21 \u2013 16:30<\/td><td>14:30<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Sprint Race<\/strong><\/td><td>Saturday, August 22 \u2013 12:00<\/td><td>10:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Qualifying<\/strong><\/td><td>Saturday, August 22 \u2013 16:00<\/td><td>14:00<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Race<\/strong><\/td><td>Sunday, August 23 \u2013 15:00<\/td><td>13:00<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Broadcast guide: Where to watch in the United States<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>United States (Eastern Time \/ ET)<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Broadcaster:<\/strong> Apple TV<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sprint Race:<\/strong> Saturday, August 22 \u2013 06:00 ET<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Qualifying:<\/strong> Saturday, August 22 \u2013 10:00 ET<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Race:<\/strong> Sunday, August 23 \u2013 09:00 ET<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions (FAQ)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Where did Charles Leclerc qualify for the Dutch GP Sprint?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charles Leclerc qualified in third position, just 0.055s behind pole-sitter George Russell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Where did Lewis Hamilton qualify for the Sprint race?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in SQ3, posting a best time of 1:12.191 in the second Ferrari SF-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Did Ferrari bring upgrades to the Dutch Grand Prix?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, Ferrari introduced an updated floor specification and fresh exhaust systems for both Leclerc and Hamilton at Zandvoort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charles Leclerc narrowly missed out on Sprint pole at Zandvoort by 0.055s, but praised Ferrari&#8217;s technical progress after delivering his finest qualifying lap of 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020312382,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Charles Leclerc","42wp_featured_image_credits":"F1","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[28,56],"42wp_author":[58],"class_list":["post-1050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-ferrari","42wp_author-vicente-soella"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1050"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1051,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1050\/revisions\/1051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020312382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1050"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}