Leclerc's soft tyre gamble pays off with second in Zandvoort sprint

Charles Leclerc turned a bold tyre gamble into a podium finish in the Formula 1 sprint race at Zandvoort on Saturday, August 22, 2026. The Ferrari driver was one of only two competitors to start the 24-lap event on the soft compound tyre, a decision that paid off as he passed Lando Norris on lap 18 to secure second place behind Mercedes' George Russell.

Leclerc began the sprint from third on the grid and spent the early stages behind Norris. Despite being on the softer, typically less durable tyre, he maintained competitive pace throughout the race. His opportunity came on the penultimate lap when he overtook Norris at Turn 1, a difficult move on the narrow Zandvoort circuit. The Monegasque admitted the decision to choose the softs was a calculated risk. "Always when you're the only one doing something, it's either very right or very wrong," Leclerc said. "I think it was a good choice in the end so that's good. It means we did our homework well in FP1."

Leclerc expressed surprise that his strongest performance on the soft tyre came late in the race rather than at the start, as he had anticipated. "I did not expect to gain positions at the end of the race with these soft tyres....