Oscar Piastri took pole position for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, heading an inevitable McLaren 1-2, with Lando Norris in second.
The Australian’s 1:08.663s set early in Q3 was enough to see him take top spot for Sunday’s race, with Norris a fraction behind.
Home hero Max Verstappen maintained a glimmer of hope from the partisan crowd with third, as Isack Hadjar stunned with a brilliant fourth place.
For Piastri, it sets up the best possible chance to keep a lead that would see him maintain and extend his title charge on Sunday.
Q1 began with one early incident, and it was Lance Stroll fresh from his shunt on Friday. The Aston Martin touched the grass going into Turn 13, sending him into a spin, which saw him skidding up the gravel and into the barrier.
Stroll was able to keep the engine running and bring it back to the track, but the car was on the jacks upon returning to the pit lane. His session was over.
Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto, Yuki Tsunoda and Oliver Bearman were all in the danger zone as the session drew to a close, with Charles Leclerc initially looking precarious. But the Monegasque was able to move up to ninth, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton close by in eighth.
Ocon improved but was still unable to extract himself from the danger zone, but Tsunoda did, sending Nico Hulkenberg out. Colapinto and Bearman were also eliminated.
Piastri was fastest, with Norris second and Russell third, with Verstappen not far behind. Liam Lawson was the story of Q1, his 1:09.779s putting him in a brilliant fifth place.
Antonelli and Tsunoda dumped out with Racing Bulls impressing
Q2 began with the Ferraris first and second, led by Leclerc, as the others began to limber up to battle for their place in Q3.
Verstappen, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Russell quickly displaced them, with Tsunoda popping up in third. Lawson continued to show speed by going fifth.
Norris then set a lap of intent, a 1:09.469s, two tenths up on Verstappen, with Piastri and Fernando Alonso yet to set a time with seven minutes to go.
The Australian then popped up with a time just short of his team-mate’s, and Alonso got himself on the board too.
At Turn 7, Verstappen appeared to be baulked by Norris, who was on a slow lap, and vented his frustration at the “dangerous” manoeuvre from the McLaren.
With just one minute to go, Norris continued to hold top spot, with Hamilton and Leclerc fourth and fifth respectively.
Alonso, Lawson, Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly were in danger, but the Frenchman appeared to get through with a late charge, but Sainz followed in and pushed him out again.
Bortoleto was painfully close to making it through, but his 1:09.662s was the same as Tsunoda’s, leaving him 11th.
Alonso sprung himself into the top 10 at the last, with Lawson following suit, pushing Antonelli and Tsunoda out, along with Albon and Gasly.
Piastri takes pole as Hadjar stuns with fourth place
Q3 began with Norris and Piastri being the first to break cover and set a time, the latter setting a 1:09.662s, one hundredth of a second faster than Norris.
Hamilton moved up to fourth ahead of Leclerc, with Russell between the Ferraris and McLarens in third place.
Verstappen, cheered along by his home crowd, moved ahead of Russell, with Hadjar seventh, ahead of Alonso and team-mate Lawson.
With three minutes to go, everyone was now back out on fresh tyres, with one final crack at a better lap.
Norris began his next flying lap a shade down on Piastri’s previous time, who bettered his own first sector, and continued to do so, as Norris missed out by a hundredth.
Piastri ultimately failed to better his own time, but stayed in first place. Leclerc could only manage fifth, with Hamilton just behind.
Russell couldn’t improve either, with Verstappen now the only hope, but despite an impressive lap that saw him reduce the deficit, it was not enough.
Hadjar then popped up with a blistering 1:09.208s to take fourth ahead of Russell, as Lawson took eighth, ahead of Sainz and Alonso.
READ MORE – F1 2025 Dutch Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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