Lando Norris stormed to an emphatic pole position for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, beating George Russell by just over a tenth of a second.
After a somewhat subdued Sprint Race on Saturday, grid position for Sunday’s race would prove crucial. With McLaren strong in Sprint Qualifying but unable to challenge for victory, would this be replicated in the second qualifying session of the weekend?
Q1
At the green light, the queue at the end of the pit lane formed in earnest, with all but a few cars eager to head onto the circuit immediately, led by the Audi of Nico Hulkenberg. Home hero Max Verstappen and temporary teammate Liam Lawson were last to take the legendary Zandvoort circuit for Q1. Unlike yesterday, everyone kept their cars on the road in the opening laps.
McLaren and Mercedes led the field once the first runs were complete, with Piastri holding the advantage over George Russell, Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli. The lower order remained unclear with less than ten minutes to go, as multiple drivers opted to back out of their first attempts.
Once the picture became clearer, the two Haas and Cadillac drivers were joined by Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi and Lance Stroll Aston Martin, the latter having his lap time deleted due to track limits violations. Everyone then returned to the pits to fit new tyres ahead of a frantic final minutes of Q1.
The Williams of Carlos Sainz and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly were safe for the moment, but were dangerously close to the drop zone. Track evolution ramped up dramatically in the closing seconds, leading to dramatic improvements. Esteban Ocon was able to move clear, but Sainz found himself on the wrong side of the drop zone. Both Aston Martins suffered a double elimination in the next test of Honda’s new upgrade, with Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas Sergio Perez making up the back row.
Eliminated: Sainz, Alonso, Stroll, Bearman, Bottas, Perez
Q2
The start of Q2 was more relaxed than Q1, with Verstappen leading the small gaggle of cars that opted to queue out onto the track. Verstappen and Alex Albon were the only two drivers to opt for used tyres; the rest opted for new. His first effort was six tenths of a second behind early pacesetter Russell. Once McLaren and Ferrari had showed their hands, Piastri led from teammate Norris, with Leclerc in third, the top three separated by less than a tenth of a second.
The lower order once again took time to become clear at the end of the first runs, but what became clear is that both Red Bulls did not have the pace to challenge for the upper half of the top six on used tyres. Verstappen and Lawson lay ninth and tenth, with both Alpine’s, Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg all at risk.
After a brief lull, the cars took to the circuit once again to secure their place in the top ten. Now under pressure in front of his adoring home fans, Verstappen duly delivered, moving into third. Lawson’s run only put him seventh, the New Zealander now at risk. At the chequered flag, multiple drivers in the elimination zone abandoned their laps, with the others failing to improve, sealing their fates.
Eliminated: Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg. Colapinto, Ocon, Albon
Q3
Drivers took their time exiting the pit lane in Q3, with Piastri last to take to the circuit. The added spice of rain in the final five minutes meant that the opening banker laps were now more important than ever. The drivers pushed their cars to the limit, but Norris held the early advantage, with a 0.151s gap to George Russell, despite the Mercedes driver setting the fastest final sector. Charles Leclerc was fourth, with Antonelli a distant fifth, followed by the two Red Bulls, Verstappen leading Lawson.
The usual lull before the final runs was eliminated entirely, as rain closed in around Zandvoort. The teams turned around the cars in under a minute as they all headed out to try to improve before the rain negated the possibility. Russell overtook Piastri at the end of the pit lane, but was unable to pass Norris before starting a lap as the ponchos came out in the grandstands.
As the cars crossed the line for the final time, Antonelli’s brief stint dethroning Norris ended as quickly as it had happened, demoted to third as Norris and Russell retook the front row positions. Piastri once again lay four, again separated by less than two tenths of a second. Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen, Lawson, Bortoleto and the in form Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.
Top 10: Norris, Russell, Antonelli, Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Verstappen, Lawson, Bortoleto, Lindblad
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