Qualifying at Zandvoort brought thrilling competition, one that resulted in Oscar Piastri being the McLaren on pole, while Lando Norris had to settle with P2. Max Verstappen will line up third, next to Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar, who drove to an impressive fourth. Read the full qualifying report below.
Q1 Report:
Q1 was not without it’s excitement, as we saw yellow flags waved after Lance Stroll dipped a wheel into the grass and sent his Aston Martin into the barriers for the second time this race weekend. The mechanics had worked to restore it after Stroll’s incident in FP2 yesterday, but the Canadian doesn’t seem to be too comfortable in his car. Meanwhile, his teammate Alonso was able to make it to Q2. Both Ferrari drivers also managed to do so, although their car still doesn’t appear to have the pace of their rivals. McLaren’s drivers, Piastri and Norris, look to be locked in a close battle for pole position at the Dutch GP, and though Piastri was the driver to go fastest in Q1, the two could switch places at any moment.
The drivers that were eliminated in Q1 were Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman, making it a double Q1 exit for Haas, and Lance Stroll, who failed to set a time before his crash.
Q2 Report:
Q2 brought more drama as it was Lando Norris who topped the time-sheets ahead of Oscar Piastri this time around. It will certainly be incredibly close margins between the pair in Q3. Along with the papaya drivers, Max Verstappen went third fastest, while his teammate Tsunoda suffered from a Q2 exit. Both Racing Bulls drivers, however, have managed to continue to the top ten shootout. Carlos Sainz also got a confidence boost, continuing on after his teammate Alex Albon got knocked out this round.
All drives eliminated were Kimi Antonelli, which will be a disappointment for the young Italian, Yuki Tsunoda, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon.
Q3 Report:
The two McLaren drivers were locked in a tight battle for pole position, but it was the leading World Champion Oscar Piastri who beat Norris by 0.012s. Max Verstappen was the closest challenger, after finishing in P3, while Isack Hadjar completed an impressive flying lap that brought him up to P4, and the second row. George Russell slotted into fifth, with Leclerc and Hamilton sixth and seventh respectively, after Ferrari couldn’t bring a challenge to their rivals. Liam Lawson finished P8, and Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten.
The pole-sitter has a history of winning the race at the Dutch Grand Prix, but we’ll see if Lando Norris can bring the fight to his teammate on Sunday.
