Oscar Piastri narrowly denied Lando Norris pole position in a nail-biting battle between the McLaren drivers at Zandvoort.
Max Verstappen will start behind them in third on the grid while Isack Hadjar claimed his best starting position to date with fourth place.
Q1
The question of which driver would be first to drop out in qualifying was answered quickly by Lance Stroll. The Aston Martin driver dropped his left-hand wheels onto the grass approaching the penultimate corner and snapped into a spin, damaging the right-hand side of his car for the second time in as many days.
This was not as destructive as his crash in second practice had been the day before, and he was able to drive back to the pits. But the damage was too extensive for his team to repair before the session ended, and he went no further.
The remaining 19 drivers were all able to set times. The McLaren pair took up their increasingly customary positions at the head of the times, but while Norris led them at first, Piastri went quicker when they returned to the track for a second run on used tyres.
The struggling Ferrari drivers needed another run on fresh rubber at the end of the session to secure their progression. However Ferrari customers Haas struggled, their drivers setting the slowest times of the session, though both were within two tenths of a second of getting through.
There were many hard luck stories among those who dropped out. Franco Colapinto was poised to escape Q1 until a late improvement by Yuki Tsunoda ended his chances. Nico Hulkenberg was able to finish his final lap but narrowly failed to beat his team mate to the final place in Q2.
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Q1 result
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Q2
Norris reasserted himself over Piastri in the second phase of qualifying, beating him to the top time by less than a tenth of a second. His 1’08.874 also established a new track record for Zandvoort, beating Verstappen’s mark from 2021.
Verstappen looked increasingly comfortable in his Red Bull, closing within a quarter of a second of them, despite complaining about having to pass Norris as he swept the Scheivlak on his fastest lap. Ferrari enjoyed a more comfortable Q2 as well, both cars reaching the top five.
But Verstappen’s team mate was unable to accompany him into the final 10, as both Racing Bulls beat Tsunoda’s time. That left him 12th, tied with Gabriel Bortoleto, who matched his effort to within a thousandth of a second.
A frustrated Alexander Albon complained about a lack of grip from his tyres as he failed to join Sainz in Q3. The last driver to claim a place in the top 10 was Fernando Alonso, who did so at the expense of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
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Q2 result
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Q3
The McLaren drivers left the pit lane together as Q3 began, Piastri leading Norris. The pair had traded fastest times throughout the session but as the decisive session began Piastri claimed the initial advantage, pipping Norris by just a hundredth of a second, lowering the track record further with a 1’08.662.
When the drivers emerged for their final laps, few of those who had a second set of new tyres managed to improve their lap times. Piastri and Norris fell short and claimed the front row of the grid. Verstappen set the fastest middle sector time but had to settle for third place.
A superb lap by Isack Hadjar saw the Racing Bulls driver claim fourth on the grid at the expense of Russell. The Ferrari drivers swapped places on their final runs, Leclerc beating Hamilton to sixth.
Liam Lawson got loose in the Hugenholzbocht during his first run but improved on the second to take eighth. Alonso dropped two places to 10th alongside Sainz’s Williams.
Q3 result
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