George Russell has won the sprint qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix and will start Saturday’s short race from pole position. The Mercedes driver, who went through a difficult spell before the summer break, stopped the clock in Zandvoort at 1:11.567 minutes – leaving the entire field behind him.
World champion Lando Norris followed in second place just 0.041 seconds adrift, once again confirming McLaren’s strong form. Charles Leclerc secured third place in the Ferrari.
Particularly notable: championship leader Kimi Antonelli, Russell’s teammate at Mercedes, could not advance beyond fifth place. Local favourite Max Verstappen, who had only extended his Red Bull contract until 2030 on Thursday, finished sixth ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion, trailing Antonelli by 50 points in the overall standings as his closest challenger, came home in seventh.
Liam Lawson, who returned to the Red Bull A-team as a replacement for the injured Isack Hadjar, finished eleventh. Yuki Tsunoda is standing in for Lawson at Racing Bulls and put in a solid performance with twelfth place.
Also on Saturday comes qualifying for the main race, before Sunday’s grand prix – for the time being the last to be held in Zandvoort, as the circuit is no longer on the 2026 calendar.
