Max Verstappen snatches pole position for his home Grand Prix
Max Verstappen just pipped Charles Leclerc to ensure he will start the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position.
Max Verstappen just pipped Charles Leclerc to ensure he will start the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position.
Verstappen’s closest title rival has fallen off the pace recently and would love to take one off the Red Bull driver on his own patch.
Max Verstappen snatches pole
Leclerc fell just short of snatching pole in the end.
ALSO READ: Max Verstappen shows he knows his home tracks backwards
Verstappen had logged a lap of 1m 10.342s in Q3 just before Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, spun at Turn 13 to bring out a yellow flag and prevent anyone else from beating the Dutchman’s time.
Leclerc had looked to be building up to a fliying final lap that might have taken pole but ended up 0.021s off the home favourite in P2, while Q2 leader Carlos Sainz qualified P3 – under a tenth off pole to ensure Verstappen will have a Ferrari behind and alongside him when the race gets underway at Zandvoort on Sunday.
Seven-time WDC Lewis Hamilton completed the second row in P4, the Mercedes driver also unable to improve late in Q3, while teammate George Russell settled for sixth behind Perez.
F1.com report: “Lando Norris qualified seventh, with Mick Schumacher a surprise eighth and Yuki Tsunoda an equally surprising ninth. Lance Stroll made it to Q3 but a technical issue saw him confined to the garage and settle for 10th on the grid for Aston Martin.
“Pierre Gasly qualified 11th ahead of compatriot Esteban Ocon, while Fernando Alonso finished 13th in Q2 as neither Alpine made it to the top 10 shootout. Zhou Guanyu took P14, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon.
“Valtteri Bottas was knocked out in P16 as his Alfa Romeo team mate Zhou made it through to Q2. Haas’s Kevin Magnussen’s track limits infringement saw him finish 17th, ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel – who took P19 having run into the gravel on his final flying lap – and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi backing up the pack.”
Dutch Grand Prix qualifying
| POS | NO | DRIVER | CAR | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING RBPT | 1:11.317 | 1:10.927 | 1:10.342 | 12 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 1:11.443 | 1:10.988 | 1:10.363 | 18 |
| 3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | 1:11.767 | 1:10.814 | 1:10.434 | 18 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 1:11.331 | 1:11.075 | 1:10.648 | 18 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING RBPT | 1:11.641 | 1:11.314 | 1:11.077 | 19 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | MERCEDES | 1:11.561 | 1:10.824 | 1:11.147 | 18 |
| 7 | 4 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:11.556 | 1:11.116 | 1:11.174 | 18 |
| 8 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | HAAS FERRARI | 1:11.741 | 1:11.420 | 1:11.442 | 21 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | ALPHATAURI RBPT | 1:11.427 | 1:11.428 | 1:12.556 | 21 |
| 10 | 18 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 1:11.568 | 1:11.416 | 14 | |
| 11 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPHATAURI RBPT | 1:11.705 | 1:11.512 | 15 | |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:11.748 | 1:11.605 | 12 | |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:11.667 | 1:11.613 | 11 | |
| 14 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 1:11.826 | 1:11.704 | 15 | |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:11.695 | 1:11.802 | 16 | |
| 16 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 1:11.961 | 9 | ||
| 17 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:12.081 | 8 | ||
| 18 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | HAAS FERRARI | 1:12.319 | 9 | ||
| 19 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 1:12.391 | 8 | ||
| 20 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:13.353 | 5 |
Q1 107% time – 1:16.309
