George Russell Claims Sprint Qualifying Pole at Zandvoort, Edging Out Lando Norris

George Russell made a triumphant return from the summer break, clinching pole position for the Sprint at Circuit Zandvoort. The Mercedes driver outpaced McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in a fiercely competitive session.

Russell clocked a time of 1:11.567, just enough to edge Norris, who followed closely with 1:11.608. Leclerc wasn't far behind, posting 1:11.622. Oscar Piastri, in the second McLaren, secured fourth place, while Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top five for Mercedes, trailing his teammate by about two-tenths.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull took the sixth spot, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls).

Sprint Qualifying Results

**FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2026**

| Pos. | Driver | Time | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | George Russell | 1:11.567 | | 2 | Lando Norris | 1:11.608 | | 3 | Charles Leclerc | 1:11.622 | | 4 | Oscar Piastri | 1:11.666 | | 5 | Kimi Antonelli | 1:11.794 |

Liam Lawson, stepping in for Isack Hadjar, narrowly missed advancing to the final stage, finishing P11 just 0.009 seconds ahead of Yuki Tsunoda. Franco Colapinto of Alpine came in 14th, leading Audi's Nico Hulkenberg, Haas' Esteban Ocon, and Williams' Alex Albon.

Early in the session, Ollie Bearman of Haas was knocked out in 17th place, followed by Carlos Sainz, who struggled due to floor damage from FP1. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, who faced issues with his rear wing, ended up 19th and 22nd, respectively.

Session Highlights

#### SQ1 – Leclerc Sets the Pace

With only an hour of practice before qualifying, teams had to work quickly. Despite a strong start from Mercedes' Antonelli, it was Leclerc who set the early benchmark. Norris, Hamilton, and Piastri soon joined the fray, with Norris taking the top spot with a 1:13.071.

Aston Martin's upgrades didn't pay off as hoped, with Alonso and Stroll struggling. Leclerc ended SQ1 on top, followed by Norris and Piastri.

**Knocked out:** Bearman, Sainz, Stroll, Bottas, Perez, Alonso

#### SQ2 – McLaren on Top

Norris continued his strong form into SQ2, but it was Piastri who led with a 1:12.026. Russell and Antonelli put Mercedes in a strong position, but McLaren secured a 1-2 finish for the session.

Gasly, Verstappen, Lindblad, and Bortoleto joined the top three teams in SQ3, while Lawson and Tsunoda were among those eliminated.

**Knocked out:** Lawson, Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Albon

#### SQ3 – Russell Takes Charge

In the final shootout on soft tyres, Norris initially claimed provisional pole. However, Russell delivered a stellar lap to snatch P1 by just 0.041 seconds. Leclerc secured third, with Piastri and Antonelli completing the top five.

Russell's Reaction

"It's great to be back here after the break," Russell commented. "Zandvoort is a circuit I really love, and it's been a while since I've done one of these interviews, so it's nice."

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