Lando Norris beats George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to Zandvoort pole with Lewis Hamilton in fifth
Lando Norris beat Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to pole position at the Dutch Grand Prix in a hectic end to qualifying.
Rain threatened to cause an anti-climax to qualifying but the track remained dry enough for the McLaren and Mercedes drivers to battle it out for top spot, with Norris edging out Russell by 0.102s and championship leader Antonelli by 0.133s.
Oscar Piastri was just 0.142s off in fourth in another tight session – a continuation of the trend throughout the Sprint weekend at Zandvoort – and sets up a fascinating race on Sunday when the lights go out at 2pm (build-up from 12.30pm), live on Sky Sports F1.
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Norris won the last race before the summer
Norris won the last race before the summer break but is 90 points behind championship leader Antonelli, who opened up a 53-point lead in the title race following Saturday’s Sprint as his closest challenger Lewis Hamilton struggled.
Russell won the Sprint and will look to make further inroads into his 56-point deficit to Antonelli while Hamilton has work to do after only qualifying fifth.
The Ferrari drivers were the last to complete their laps in Q3 but they did not have the speed to challenge at the front. However, Hamilton outpaced Charles Leclerc for the first time in a competitive session this weekend.
Red Bull have also been disappointing at Max
Red Bull have also been disappointing at Max Verstappen’s final home event – with the Dutch Grand Prix falling off the calendar after this year. Verstappen qualified seventh behind Leclerc and only one tenth ahead of Liam Lawson, who has replaced Isack Hadjar at Red Bull this weekend after the Frenchman suffered a wrist injury last week.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto continued his strong performances in ninth, as did Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad in 10th while his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda qualified 12th.
Aston Martin would have been expecting more from their engine and aerodynamic upgrades but both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll went out in Q1 in 18th and 19th.
More to follow…
Sky Sports F1’s live Dutch GP schedule
Sunday August 23 9.35am: F1 Academy Race 2
Sunday August 23
9.35am: F1 Academy Race 2
10.50am: Porsche Supercup Race 2
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Dutch GP build-up
2pm: THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Dutch GP reaction
Formula 1 is at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix with Sunday’s race at 2pm and build-up from 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
Source: www.skysports.com
