Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were left shocked after, as the younger Ferrari racer labeled it a "very, very, very, very difficult Friday". The Italian side is coming to Zandvoort as one of the strongest teams on the grid.
Charles Leclerc has been the one finishing up in the podiums and even challenged the McLaren duo for the victory in Hungaroring. He was also in pole position and fighting for the win until an unknown problem hindered his race.
Coming to Zandvoort, Ferrari was expected to do well. This was a team that performed well on the high downforce track in Hungary and was even on the podium here last season.
Looking at where both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were on the timesheets, the situation does not seem good. Interacting with the media, including motorsport, after the day, Leclerc's response summed it all up as he called the day a wake-up call for the side. He said,
"I will sum it up as a very, very, very, very difficult Friday, probably the worst Friday of the season, which is right after the holiday so it's a little bit of a wake-up call. But yeah, it’s OK. We've had some difficult Fridays, now it's up to us to turn the situation around. But for sure, it's not been an easy day."
He added:
"FP1 was extremely difficult, FP2 was slightly better, but still very still very far off where we want to be."
Lewis Hamilton echoes Charles Leclerc's response
Lewis Hamilton performed better than Charles Leclerc in FP 2, where he was a tenth faster that his teammate. His verdict was a bit more optimistic even though he admitted that there is space for improvement.
"It's not been the worst of days. I think we were making progress. We were obviously quite far off in P1, a lot further than normal. The first lap felt pretty decent, getting back, but then been a bit of a challenge from then. But we made some progress over lunch, so I think we progressed, but still quite a chunk off, so we have got some work to do overnight."
The team has come to Zandvoort after losing what could have been a well earned victory in Hungary. Both Charles and Hamilton would be looking to put together a better run this time around.
It does, however, depend on where the car is in the pecking order, as the signs have not been as positive for the side on Friday.