Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, leading a one two finish in qualifying for McLaren with teammate Lando Norris just behind him.
Norris had been fastest in all three practice sessions and led heading into the final part of qualifying, but Piastri delivered when it counted most, setting the fastest ever lap at Zandvoort.
The Australian set a time of one minute 08.662 seconds on his first attempt, beating Norris by just 0.012 seconds. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had taken pole at his home race the past three years, was third, 0.263 seconds behind.
“That was the perfect time to get everything right,” Piastri said. “It’s been a good weekend so far, even though I struggled with a couple of corners. I didn’t improve there, but I found time in other places, so I’m really happy.”
Norris, just nine points behind Piastri in the championship after winning three of the last four races, said he was “a little disappointed” to miss out on pole. He also suggested the windy conditions played a part.
“With the wind like this, sometimes it just comes down to luck,” he said. “I had a good first run in Q3, but a bit of a headwind down the straight cost me a hundredth of a second and that’s probably where the difference was.”
If things go McLaren’s way on Sunday, they could match the record of five straight one two finishes, previously set by Ferrari and Mercedes.
Rookie Isack Hadjar will start fourth for Racing Bulls, lining up next to Verstappen. George Russell is fifth for Mercedes, and Charles Leclerc, who saw a fox cross the track during Q2, is sixth for Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton, after a difficult weekend so far in his first season with Ferrari, will start seventh.
Also in the top ten are Liam Lawson from Racing Bulls, Carlos Sainz from Williams and Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin, meaning seven different teams made it into the final shootout.
Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes and Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull just missed out. Tsunoda set the same time as Gabriel Bortoleto from Sauber but was classified twelfth.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashed in Q1, damaging his front wing. He returned to the pits but took no further part. Drivers from Haas, Sauber and Alpine were also knocked out early.
