Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday with a record-breaking lap, giving himself a strong chance to extend his Formula One lead over McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Piastri’s fastest lap of one minute 08.662 seconds at Zandvoort was just 0.012 seconds quicker than Norris, who had led all three practice sessions and last year’s race from pole. Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen took third, 0.263 seconds off Piastri’s pace, despite winning from pole in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Piastri was thrilled with his performance, saying, “This was about hitting my best when it counted. I felt good all weekend, but there were a couple of corners where I couldn’t go faster. I didn’t improve in those spots, but I found speed elsewhere, so I’m really happy with the result.”
Norris, nine points behind Piastri after winning three of the last four races, admitted he was a bit disappointed with second place. He pointed to tricky wind conditions as a factor but stayed positive. “The wind makes it a bit of a gamble out there,” Norris said. “I had a solid lap in the final session, but a slight headwind on the straight cost me a tiny bit of time. It’s not a disaster, though.”
McLaren could match a historic record with a fifth straight one-two finish in Sunday’s race, equaling achievements by Ferrari and Mercedes. Racing Bulls’ French rookie Isack Hadjar qualified fourth, alongside Verstappen, while Mercedes’ George Russell took fifth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was surprised by a fox crossing the track during the second qualifying phase, secured sixth. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who struggled in practice, will start seventh for Ferrari.
