(Motorsport-Total.com) – The sprint qualifying at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort ended with a small surprise: After McLaren driver Lando Norris’ win recently in Hungary and Kimi Antonelli’s (Mercedes) fastest time in the first session on Friday, it was ultimately George Russell (Mercedes) who took P1 with a best time of 1:11.567 minutes.
Read more Upgrades make car fast and stable: McLaren preserves Hungary form
“It’s been a while since I led the timing sheet,” Russell said happily. “I don’t even remember in which session I last managed that. It’s nice that I reminded myself that I still can do it. And that I haven’t forgotten how to drive.”
Russell, newly engaged and on cloud nine, pushed Norris back by 0.041 seconds and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) by 0.055 seconds with his last fast lap of the day (Leclerc: “Probably my best qualifying lap of the year!”). Oscar Piastri (McLaren), who had impressed with the best time in SQ2, finished fourth (+0.099).
World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli seemed confident until SQ1, but he had to abort his first lap on Friday afternoon – and afterwards he somehow couldn’t find his old rhythm again. In the end, he finished fifth, 0.227 seconds behind Russell – and ahead of superstars Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari).
Later, Antonelli reported that he had “a few holes in the floor” from his off-track excursion: “When I came to the pits, they told me that costs 25 points of downforce.” However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff downplayed this in an interview with Sky: “It was damage to the car, but we were able to repair it.”
Verstappen is not happy with P6: “It was difficult to find grip and balance. It was better than in free practice, but there is still a lot missing to move further forward. We have to figure out what we can do tomorrow to find more grip.”
Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) rounded out the top 10. Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) was 14th.
On the topic:
Result: Sprint Qualifying Dutch GP
F1 ticker: Paddock live with Ruben Zimmermann
What does the result mean for the balance of power?
Although Ferrari (floor) and McLaren brought updates to Zandvoort: “Mercedes still has that advantage,” Formula 1 expert Günther Steiner analyzes in an interview with ServusTV. “Kimi crashed this morning. That’s why, I think, he wasn’t quite one hundred percent there. He didn’t want to take a big risk. But George is back now. That’s why they are the favorites.”
It is also clear that the balance of power varies from track to track. Whenever it is particularly twisty, as recently in Hungary, Mercedes’ challengers play to their strengths. Steiner expects a “three-way fight” for the win this weekend: “Leclerc also wants to have a say. Ferraris are usually good at the start. That’s why it will be very interesting. Suddenly there are three manufacturers who can win. They are all close together. Anything can happen.”
Especially since Ferrari made a strong impression in the long-run practice on Friday midday. At least that’s what Mercedes team boss Wolff reports: “I think the important topic will be the long run. That looked much stronger with the Ferraris than with everyone else.” And: “Where we really lose is the fast section, Turn 7/8. There we are sometimes 13 km/h slower than Norris. Either it’s because we might be running a bit too low there – or the balance is not quite right.”
McLaren, on the other hand, is satisfied with the update: “The new parts make the car faster,” says team boss Andrea Stella. “We have some new parts, including a rear wing. And they work.” Norris just nods: “Looks like the trend continues after the strong performance in Budapest.”
On the Ferrari side, Leclerc was happy with the result – but Hamilton was not. The seven-time world champion explains: “In practice, the car felt good. Then we made subtle changes. But in qualifying, it was suddenly a completely different car. Now we have to look at what went wrong.”
SQ1: Scare moment for Antonelli right at the start
The first of the three SQ sections started with a scare moment for the top favorite: Antonelli, fastest in the first free practice, attacked a bit too hard on his first flying lap – and slid off the track in the last sector. Afterwards, he had to come to the pits and do a second run, which he otherwise could have saved.
“I just lost the rear. In a very strange way,” Antonelli commented on his mishap over the radio. At least his car was apparently not damaged, and on the second attempt, he improved from zero to seventh place – two tenths behind his teammate, but fast enough to advance to SQ2 (ultimately in eighth position).
The usual suspects failed to qualify for SQ2: Cadillac veterans Valtteri Bottas (20th) and Sergio Perez (21st), the two Aston Martins (although Fernando Alonso probably wouldn’t have finished last without his off-track excursion on the decisive lap) – as well as one Haas (Oliver Bearman) and one Williams (Carlos Sainz).
Read more 25 points lost: Did this off-track moment cost Antonelli the sprint pole?
Speaking of Alonso: Aston Martin only reported after SQ1 that the Spaniard could not deploy his rear wing on the straights because the SLM flap system was not working.
Esteban Ocon (Haas), who recently went through a rough patch, put in a decent lap shortly before the end and secured 14th place in SQ1. He was 0.225 seconds faster than Bearman.
SQ2: Out for the reserve drivers in the Red Bull teams
SQ2 was a demonstration of power by McLaren. Piastri set the best time in 1:12.026 minutes, 0.163 seconds ahead of Norris. Antonelli finished sixth, 0.485 seconds behind. However, the exercise was only to be among the top ten.
Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing’s reserve for Isack Hadjar, narrowly missed this. The New Zealander was 0.350 seconds slower than Audi driver Bortoleto and finished eleventh. Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced Lawson at Racing Bulls in Zandvoort, was twelfth, 0.360 seconds behind teammate Lindblad. Lawson lost the duel against Verstappen (8th in SQ2) by 0.365 seconds.
Also, Franco Colapinto (13th/Alpine), Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), Ocon, and Alexander Albon (Williams) did not make the cut. Hülkenberg was 0.830 seconds slower than Bortoleto in the direct Audi comparison.
More selected voices on the sprint qualifying
Pierre Gasly (8th/Alpine): “I have to say, that was definitely positive. The feeling in the car is much better with the updates. More grip, it reacts better to what I do and how I drive. There were only two sessions, so there is still a lot to understand. But in terms of performance science, that is definitely a good step.”
Franco Colapinto (13th/Alpine): “It was a good lap. It’s frustrating when you are still so far behind your teammate. The upgrades really work well. That’s positive on one side, but if you don’t have them yourself, of course, you get annoyed. Still, the positive outweighs because it moves us forward.”
Nico Hülkenberg (14th/Audi): “The first practice felt really good. Then, from SQ1, it was completely different, and I didn’t have the same grip anymore. Every lap was a fight. I’m not quite sure why. Gabi was substantially faster, and that’s a bit strange and difficult to understand. But the weekend is far from over.”
Oliver Bearman (17th/Haas): “I didn’t have a good first practice. We had some problems with the front wing, and because of that, we were pretty much in the dark before the sprint qualifying. I was satisfied with my lap, only in turn 11 I might have left a bit on the table.”
Carlos Sainz (18th/Williams): “I went off track a few times this morning and damaged some parts. Those were the parts that would have been best for the rest of the weekend. Now I’m a bit short on downforce and performance.”
Fernando Alonso (22nd/Aston Martin): “We had problems with the engine and drivability. The engine was pushing, and that affected the brakes. A few times it was difficult to slow the car down because the engine, I think, pushed too much power. Then the deployable wing didn’t work either. The combination of both made it difficult.”
Zandvoort schedule: What’s next?
Zandvoort is the fifth of six sprint weekends in the 2026 Formula 1 season (Here is the complete Formula 1 calendar!). After Friday ends, the next fixed appointment is the F1 sprint. The race starts on Saturday at 12:00 CEST and covers a distance of 24 laps. The winner receives eight championship points in the F1 sprint, and the eighth place still gets one championship point.
The regular qualifying for the Grand Prix takes place on Saturday from 16:00, and the race start on Sunday is scheduled for 15:00. The race weekend is broadcast on Sky (Germany), ServusTV (Austria), and SRF (Switzerland) (Here is the complete TV overview for Formula 1 in Zandvoort!).
The usual Formula 1 live streams can be followed by fans on Saturday and Sunday evening on the YouTube channel of Formel1.de. With a summary of the events and analyses far beyond the end of the TV broadcasts. After the summer break, host Kevin Scheuren presents the streams again with the regular team including editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervoll as an expert.
Read more Verstappen struggles with grip and balance: «At least a top car behind us»
The provisional start time of the live streams is set for 21:00 CEST.