Vasseur: Charles and Lewis are ready, the Ferrari is fully focused

The summer months brought no shortage of distractions for Ferrari, from delays in confirming Fred Vasseur’s future as team principal to the drama surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s "absolutely useless" remarks that had many in Maranello – and much of the Formula 1 world – questioning the seven-time World Champion’s state of mind amid his slump in form.

That episode is apparently now firmly in the past, with Hamilton perhaps realising that his current psychological plight would be alleviated if he beat his teammate more often. Writing on social media ahead of Zandvoort: “We have to keep going, even when it’s difficult."

Ferrari team principal Vasseur used the team’s Dutch Grand Prix preview to call for focus and continuity: “We’re back on track after the summer break, which gave the team and the drivers a chance to recharge, ready to face a very busy final part of the season. In the Netherlands, we want to maintain the positive momentum built up over the past few races, where we made progress in terms of competitiveness.

The Ferrari boss emphasised that both drivers and team are aligned on the task ahead: “Charles and Lewis are ready, and the team is fully focused, determined to put them in the best possible position to get some good results.

"This weekend, that means starting right from qualifying, which is particularly crucial at Zandvoort, given how difficult overtaking can be at this track," added the Ferrari boss, whose team are P2 in the 2025 F1 Constructors' title race. Leclerc and Hamilton are P5 and P6 respectively in the Drivers' standings ahead of Round 15 this weekend at Zandvoort.