NORRIS TAKES POLE IN ZANDVOORT AHEAD OF RUSSELL AND ANTONELLI
Lando Norris will start the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position after setting the fastest time in qualifying at Zandvoort. The McLaren driver produced a 1:11.163 to beat George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, securing the best possible starting position for Sunday’s main race.
Mercedes had already shown strong pace by winning the Sprint with Russell, but the team could not repeat that result in qualifying. Russell will start second, while Antonelli took third place, only a few thousandths behind his teammate.
Oscar Piastri qualified fourth, just nine thousandths of a second behind Antonelli. The two Ferrari drivers will start from the third row, with Lewis Hamilton fifth and Charles Leclerc sixth. Max Verstappen qualified seventh, ahead of his Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson. Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
The Sprint Race earlier on Saturday showed how important qualifying would be at Zandvoort. Overtaking is difficult around the Dutch circuit, meaning starting position can have a major impact on the result of the main race.
In Q1, Piastri immediately showed McLaren’s pace by setting the fastest time ahead of Russell and Norris. Leclerc was fourth, while Hamilton initially struggled and was only tenth after his first attempt.
Hamilton improved significantly on his final run and moved up to second. The two McLarens and two Mercedes also returned to the track to improve their times, while Leclerc and Verstappen stayed in the pits.
Piastri remained on top when the session ended. Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Oliver Bearman, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were eliminated.
McLaren continued to lead in Q2, with Piastri and Norris setting the pace. The top five were extremely close, with the two Ferraris and Russell completing a group separated by less than 0.15 seconds.
Antonelli was further back in sixth, around half a second from Piastri. The Mercedes driver was not completely comfortable with the car and needed another attempt on a fresh set of soft tyres to secure his place in Q3.
Red Bull also faced some difficulties. Verstappen was only ninth after his first run, behind both McLarens, the Ferraris and Mercedes. The Dutchman responded with a much stronger second attempt, moving into third place.
Norris then improved again and moved ahead of his teammate to take the top spot. Leclerc finished fourth and Hamilton seventh, with the two Mercedes cars of Russell and Antonelli between them.
Ferrari also managed to save an important set of soft tyres for Q3. Both Hamilton and Leclerc therefore had an additional option for the final qualifying session.
Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon were eliminated in Q2.
Norris immediately set the pace in Q3, going around one tenth faster than Russell on the first runs. Piastri was third, followed by Leclerc, Antonelli and Verstappen.
With rain threatening to arrive, the drivers quickly returned to the track for their final attempts. This meant that the opening Q3 laps could have become decisive if the conditions changed.
Norris delivered when it mattered most, improving to a 1:11.163 and securing pole position. Russell also improved but remained around one tenth behind the McLaren.
Antonelli took third, only a few thousandths behind Russell, while Piastri finished fourth just nine thousandths behind the Italian.
Ferrari’s decision to use two preparation laps for the tyres did not produce the result the team wanted. Hamilton and Leclerc could only manage fifth and sixth, leaving both Ferrari drivers on the third row.
Verstappen qualified seventh, ahead of Lawson, while Bortoleto and Lindblad completed the top 10.
Share this content:
