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 at Zandvoort.
After a subdued Sprint Race on Saturday, grid position was crucial for Sunday’s race. With Lando Norris showing strong pace in Sprint Qualifying but failing to challenge for victory, the question was whether he could replicate that form in the second qualifying session of the weekend.
As the green light came on, a queue formed at the end of the pit lane, with most drivers eager to get out early, led by Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi. Home hero Max Verstappen and temporary teammate Liam Lawson were last to take to the legendary Zandvoort circuit for Q1. Unlike yesterday, everyone kept their cars on track in the opening laps.
McLaren and Mercedes led the field after the first runs, with Oscar 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 several 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’s Aston Martin, the latter having his lap time deleted due to track limits. Everyone then returned to the pits to fit new tyres ahead of a frantic final few minutes of Q1.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly were safe for the moment, but track evolution ramped up dramatically in the closing seconds. Esteban Ocon moved clear, but Sainz found himself on the wrong side of the drop zone. Both Aston Martins suffered a double elimination, with Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez making up the back row.
F1 Dutch GP Qualifying Results 2026
Q2 was more relaxed, with Verstappen leading the small group that queued to go out. Verstappen and Alex Albon were the only drivers on used tyres. On the first runs, Russell set the early pace, but Piastri, Norris, and Leclerc were within a tenth of a second of each other.
Both Red Bulls lacked the pace to challenge for the top six on used tyres. Verstappen and Lawson sat ninth and tenth, with the Alpines, Yuki Tsunoda, and others at risk. In the final runs, Norris delivered a stunning lap to snatch pole from Russell, setting up a thrilling race on Sunday.
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Lando Norris merebut pole position GP Belanda F1 2026 di Zandvoort, mengungguli Russell dan Antonelli. Verstappen start ketujuh di depan publik sendiri.
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