After shadowing his teammate all weekend, Oscar Piastri surprised Lando Norris in Q3, taking pole position in qualifying for the Dutch GP. The close battle for the second row was won by home teammate Max Verstappen and, surprisingly, by Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar. This was the Frenchman's best career result. The Ferraris settled for sixth and seventh, while Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed out on Q3.
First qualifying heat for the Dutch GP: Stroll crashes again
The sun is shining on the dunes of Zandvoort, the danger of rain has been averted at least for the qualifying sessions of the Dutch GP. The first to take to the track is the Haas by Ollie Bearman, who did very well during the FP3 this morningThe Englishman immediately dresses his car with the soft tires, proving that, McLaren excluded, the fight between the pursuers is really close. It will therefore be difficult to understand who will get through Q1. Bearman sets a good time, so much so that Leclerc is forced to tag along. But whoever takes the momentary head of the times is Lewis Hamilton, who continues to get the better of his teammate.
In the meantime, bad mistake by Lance Stroll which crashes head-on into the barriers in curve 13. The Canadian restarts after damaging his front wing and returns to the pits. After a few minutes, the track is clear again. Verstappen takes advantage of it which lowered Hamilton's time by almost half a second. Both Mercedes cars performed well so far, placing themselves behind the Dutchman. Then the McLarens take to the track and the music on the dance floor changes completely: Norris and Piastri are placed first and second respectivelyAston Martin, despite Stroll, confirms its good form, thanks to Alonso who takes the fourth box.
Four minutes from the end to note Pierre Gasly's sixth position, when instead during all the free practice sessions Alpine always lapped in the last positions. Stroll, however, is forced to get out of the car. His mechanics were unable to repair his car in time. The drivers, however, took to the track to defend their spot in Q2. Both Piastri, who overtook Norris, and Russell, who moved up to third, improved their times. However, they were eliminated. Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Bearman and the accident victim StrollThe Ferraris saved themselves in ninth and tenth positions.
Tight Q2: Ferrari improves, Mercedes struggles
The second qualifying heat for the Dutch GP begins. They're the first to go. the two Ferraris with used soft tyres, with Leclerc and Hamilton respectively. The Monegasque is faster than the Englishman by a good tenth. Meanwhile, however, the other drivers are also exiting the pit lane. Verstappen sets the fastest overall time in the first and second sectors. In the end, he finishes the lap with a very good time and takes the provisional first position. Behind him is an excellent Kimi Antonelli, followed by Tsunoda and George Russell. The Dutch lead was short-lived: Lando Norris takes the plunge and sets a track record with a 1:08.874. Piastri also finishes his first lap of Q2, but he has to settle for second place. In fact, 90 thousandths separate him from his teammate. Never before had the Australian been so close to Norris over the weekend.
Seven minutes from the end the two Ferraris relaunch themselves on the track with new soft tyres. This time their times are significantly better than in past attempts. Hamilton takes fourth position, while Leclerc he follows closely behind in fifthTime is running out and the drivers are back on the track to try and save themselves from imminent elimination. The two Mercedes are struggling more compared to the first heat: Russell and Antonelli did not go beyond sixth and seventh position. Gasly tries to resist moving into tenth place, but it's a result that doesn't last long. He is overtaken first by Sainz and then by Hadjar. At the end they get back within Lawson and Alonso. Instead they are eliminated Antonelli, Tsunoda, Bortoleto, Gasly and Albon.
Piastri surprises Lando Norris for pole, Hadjar fourth!
A lot of pressure on Lando Norris's shoulders. English was first in all sessions And now he's called upon to take pole in this qualifying session for the Dutch GP. Piastri has slowly closed in on his teammate in terms of performance, managing to post a time just 90 thousandths off Norris's in Q2. A trend that appears to be confirmed in his first attempt at this final heat. Piastri takes provisional pole position, with Norris getting behind him to 12 thousandths of a distanceMeanwhile, the other drivers are also trying their hand at the first round of attempts in this Q3. Verstappen takes third place, followed by Russell's Mercedes and the two Ferraris, with Hamilton ahead of Leclerc.
With three minutes to go, the cars rejoin the track. The thrilling duel between Norris and Piastri continues, with the Englishman this time exiting the pit lane first. His teammate is right behind him, ready to defend. But Norris fails to improve and remains in second position. Piastres he doesn't even update his time positively, but now the pole position is hisThe Australian set a new track record, thanks to a 1:08.662The battle for the second row remains open, which is ultimately won byin Hadjar, in fourth position, and from Max Verstappen in third. Russell, the two Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton follow. Lawson, Sainz, and Alonso round out the top ten.
