Verstappen defeated for the first time on home soil! Hamilton burns out in Zandvoort, Norris fastest in qualifying for Dutch GP

The summer break is over and Formula 1 continues its series of races on the old continent. At the traditional circuit in Zandvoort, the Netherlands, which returned to the F1 calendar in 2021 after a 35-year hiatus, Max Verstappen will line up for the first time in a different starting position to the first. He will be breathing down the neck of his closest rival in the Drivers’ Cup, Lando Norris.

• Lando Norris takes the top spot on the grid for the third time this season
• Max Verstappen has only dominated qualifying once in the last eight race weekends
• After three podium finishes in a row before the summer break, Hamilton has already finished in Q2

The first part of qualifying came after limited time in free practice. As is usual in the Netherlands, Friday and Saturday were heavily affected by rain, so the drivers completed significantly fewer laps than they would have liked on a dry track.

As a result, a number of drivers struggled in Q1, most notably Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard in Ferrari colours barely stayed above the drop-out positions for long periods. But along with Pérez and Russell, he left his last-ditch effort to the last minute and made a huge improvement on an ever-accelerating track that shot him into the top 3.

Daniel Ricciardo remained just below the podium. The Australian driver has not secured a seat for next season and it is these performances that could affect his future. Ocon, Bottas and Zhou also failed to qualify for Q2.

Logan Sargeant did not enter qualifying at all. The Williams driver was involved in a horrific crash in third practice that left his car in flames. Despite the efforts of the mechanics, the car could not be repaired in time.

Sainz and Hamilton were the big surprise in the second qualifying session. The Ferrari driver was seven hundredths behind tenth-placed Alonso. Hamilton, winner of two of the last three races, did not confirm his form and will start from 12th place.

Verstappen without pole position for the first time in the Netherlands

McLaren struck the first blow in the battle for pole position. The British team, led by Norris, stepped forward to take both front row positions on the grid with Verstappen close behind.

Verstappen split the orange cars with his last attempt, but it was nowhere near enough to match Norris’ time. The Briton gifted the home favourite 356 thousandths on his way to his fourth career pole position.

Piastri will be joined on the second row by George Russell. Behind them at the start will be Pérez, who is desperate to save his season and his place at Red Bull for another year. The Mexican is currently seventh in the drivers’ championship with 131 points. His last top five finish was in Miami.

A fantastic qualifying performance by Alexander Albon. He took his williams to eighth place, beating Stroll and Gasly in the third qualifying session. The Thai driver showed once again that he is doing well at the Zandvoort circuit. A year ago he even started fourth here, finishing the race in eighth place.

In Sunday’s race, Norris will have another chance to improve on his previously tragic starts from pole position. The British racer has never managed to hold the top spot until the first corner, but the length of the start straight at Zandvoort is playing into his hands.

Source: F1TV, X