Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix by a narrow 0.038-second margin over Lewis Hamilton at Zandvoort. The home favorite secured the top spot ahead of Sunday’s race, which serves as the last Dutch GP for the foreseeable future.
Formula 1 returned from its summer break with high drama at the iconic Zandvoort Circuit, where Max Verstappen delivered a decisive performance in front of a capacity crowd of 80,000 orange-clad fans. The Red Bull driver controlled much of the session, but a late charge from his rivals tested the team’s resilience right down to the final seconds.
Verstappen Edges Hamilton by Milliseconds in Zandvoort Qualifying
The battle for pole position came down to a razor-thin margin as Verstappen edged out Lewis Hamilton by just 0.038 seconds. Verstappen set the benchmark early in final qualifying with an opening lap that left him 0.299 seconds clear of Valtteri Bottas, establishing a strong advantage around a track widely recognized as one of the shortest on the calendar.
Despite appearing comfortable throughout the earlier sessions, Verstappen revealed that technical hiccups on his flying lap nearly cost him the top spot. He encountered a double upshift and failed to open the DRS overtaking aid on his run to the line, two errors that would have cost time.
It is of course the best position. We know passing is difficult, a lot of laps around here, the tyres are struggling around the high-speed corners but I hope we can finish it off tomorrow.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Driver
Hamilton capitalized on Verstappen’s minor mistakes by matching the Dutchman’s lap from his first run before improving on his final effort. The strong performance from the Mercedes driver came despite managing only one lap in the second practice session on Friday, which reduced his time to set up the car.
So close. I want to say a big thank you to all the orange fans here, the Dutch fans. What an amazing venue and track. I really love coming to this country. Max did an amazing lap and I was so close to catching him. With yesterday's session missed, it made it difficult, but I did my best. It's a difficult circuit to overtake [on], but what a place to be racing. We haven't seen a crowd like this in a while. It is great to see so many people here and I hope we can put on a great race. It is a very tough circuit, which is what makes it so fantastic to drive.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Driver
During his immediate post-session interview, Hamilton was booed by the capacity 80,000 crowd before saluting the enthusiasm of the local fans.
Grid Shakes Out Behind the Front Row
Behind the leading duo, the second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas secured third place, followed by Pierre Gasly’s Alpha Tauri and the Ferraris.
While Verstappen celebrated pole, his teammate endured a difficult afternoon. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was eliminated in the first session and is 16th, complicating the team’s strategy for the race. Meanwhile, the broader championship picture shows Mercedes leading the Constructors’ standings 72 points ahead of challengers Ferrari, while third-placed McLaren could be in the process of another remarkable mid-season turnaround after Lando Norris’ dominant victory last time out in Hungary. In the Drivers’ standings, the youngest ever to do so, Kimi Antonelli leads by 50 points ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, while his Mercedes teammate George Russell sits a further nine points behind in P3.
Zandvoort Bids Farewell as Fans Flock to the Coast
The weekend carries added significance as the last Dutch GP for the foreseeable future, following nearly four weeks away as F1 nears its return from the summer break. Paying tribute to the final Dutch GP, Red Bull revealed special race suits for drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Racing at his home race, Verstappen’s otherwise black suit features orange accents on the shoulders, while Hadjar’s suit features a white outline instead, with the starting numbers of both drivers (3 and 6) rendered as a wave as a nod to Zandvoort’s location by the seaside. Last week, Verstappen also revealed his own tribute with a special helmet featuring Delft blue accents, accompanied by an Instagram post with the message: For my last home race. Dankjewel Zandvoort,
to which Red Bull responded: A special helmet for a special race. Ready for one last charge around Zandvoort.
Fans tuning into the action can follow the weekend across multiple platforms. Commentary for the race weekend will be available across Sports Extra 3, Sports Extra, BBC Sounds, and the BBC Sport website and app, with listeners also able to access coverage by asking most smart speakers to play Sports Extra 3
or play Sports Extra
for Sunday’s grand prix. Listeners can also catch every episode of the Chequered Flag podcast, and for the first time this year, the post-race show for every grand prix is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and YouTube.
