"Very, very, very, very difficult Friday": Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton reflect on Ferrari's poor Friday

Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were left surprised after Friday's practice sessions at the Dutch Grand Prix, as the younger Ferrari driver termed it a "very, very, very, very difficult Friday". Ferrari is coming to Zandvoort as one of the top teams on the grid.

Charles Leclerc has been the one picking up podiums and even challenged the McLaren duo for the win at the Hungaroring. He was also in pole position and contending for the win until an unknown issue hindered his race.

Coming to Zandvoort, Ferrari was expected to do well. This was a team that had performed well on the high-downforce track in Hungary and had even finished on the podium here last season.

Looking at where both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were on the timesheets in the FP1 and FP2, the situation doesn't look as great. Talking to the media, including Motorsport, after the day, Leclerc's reaction summed it all up as he called the day a wake-up call for the team. 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 sentiments as Ferrari has a lot of work to do overnight

Lewis Hamilton fared a tad better than Charles Leclerc in FP2, where he was a tenth faster than his teammate. His verdict was slightly more positive, even though he admitted that there is a lot of work that needs to be done still.

Compared to his teammate, Hamilton was slightly more upbeat about how the day had gone as he said:

"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 win in Hungary. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton would be hoping 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 team on Friday.