Dutch Grand Prix: Max Verstappen on pole position at home

Q1

It was under a ray of sunshine but a wet track that this session began. With the uncertain weather in Zandvoort, it was necessary to be on track from the first seconds and everyone had that in mind, creating a traffic jam at the pit exit. Nico Hülkenberg and Max Verstappen were the first ones to suffer from the lack of grip. Both drivers crossed the gravel trap at the first corner, without major consequences. The Dutchman seemed quite nervous, complaining about his car on the radio. The McLarens continued to show their good form, setting several best times. The Ferrari drivers, who had struggled a bit during the free practice sessions, showed a much better performance this afternoon. Just as Esteban Ocon had to improve his time in the final minute to get out of the elimination zone, the arrival of rain a few seconds earlier didn’t help him. The Frenchman is eliminated in Q1 for the first time this season and will start from 17th place on the grid tomorrow. Alex Albon ultimately sets the fastest lap of this highly contested Q1 in 1:20.939.

List of eliminated drivers: Lawson (20th); Valtteri Bottas (19th); Kevin Magnussen (18th); Esteban Ocon (17th); Zhou Guanyu (16th); Logan Sargeant (20th)

Q2

The sun was already back for the second part of the session. On a drying track and with increasingly hot tires, the drivers were struggling to improve their times. Dry racing lines quickly appeared, accelerating tire degradation. Most drivers therefore added a pit stop to their program in order to fit new tires. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen continued to set the fastest times. Carlos Sainz, who went to change to new tires too late, didn’t have time to warm them up and found himself well behind his competitors. The Spaniard managed to save himself in the last second by moving up to eighth place. The pleasant surprise is called Logan Sargeant, who qualifies for Q3 for the first time in his career. Alpine’s mixed performances continue with the elimination of Pierre Gasly. The French team fails to reach Q3 for the third consecutive time.

List of eliminated drivers: Nico Hülkenberg (15th); Yuki Tsunoda (14th); Lewis Hamilton (13th); Pierre Gasly (12th); Lance Stroll (11th)

Q3

If some, like Verstappen, preferred to play it safe by keeping rain tires. Some dared to put on slick tires right from the start of this Q3. Unfortunately, Logan Sargeant quickly paid the price for it. Brilliant up until then, the Williams driver fell victim to a spin between turns 2 and 3, destroying his car. The rookie thus triggered a long red flag.

The session then resumed for a few seconds before Charles Leclerc also hit the wall, causing everyone to go back to the garage again. Just before that, Lando Norris had managed to set the fastest time in 1:12.049.

So it was only for three minutes that the battle for pole position resumed, just enough time to complete a single attacking lap. Norris against Verstappen in the final sector, and ultimately it was the Dutchman who set the fastest time and will start from first place on the grid tomorrow. Alex Albon, in great form, will start from the second row, right behind George Russell.

The results of the qualifications