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Charles Leclerc identified Lando Norris’s lack of deployment on the main straight as the decisive factor behind his late overtake in the Dutch Grand Prix Sprint.
Starting third, the Ferrari driver remained behind pole-sitter George Russell and Norris for most of the 24-lap race. However, with the Sprint entering its closing stages, Leclerc positioned himself for an attack and completed the move under braking into Turn 1, taking second place from Norris.
The result followed a bold tyre decision. Leclerc was one of only two drivers to start on the soft compound, alongside Haas’s Oliver Bearman, and had not expected the tyre to remain effective until the finish. Russell had already built an advantage too large for Leclerc to challenge for victory, but the Ferrari remained close enough to keep the Mercedes honest, crossing the line within two seconds of the winner.
The wider result is covered in George Russell controls Dutch GP sprint as Mercedes seals dominant win.
Leclerc said he entered the final phase with a clear understanding of where Norris was vulnerable. “I knew Lando didn’t have much deployment on the main straight, so I knew I had to maximise that,” he explained.
Even with that advantage, the Ferrari and McLaren arrived at the braking zone almost level. Leclerc’s execution under braking ultimately settled the contest.
“But we still arrived at the braking point more or less at the same level, and it worked out,” he said.
The timing of the move surprised Leclerc himself. He had expected the soft tyres to offer their greatest advantage at the start, particularly because his launch had not gone to plan, rather than provide the performance needed for a late-race pass.
“I did not expect to gain a position at the end of the race with the softs; if anything, it was at the start, but I didn’t have a good start,” Leclerc added.
Leclerc acknowledged the risk attached to being the only driver in the leading group pursuing a different approach. Yet the soft-tyre strategy ultimately delivered a podium-level result and gave Ferrari a direct fight with Mercedes at the front.
“Always, when you are the only one doing something, it’s either very right or very wrong,” he said. “I think it was a good choice in the end. It means we did our homework well in FP1.”
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.