McLaren owned Zandvoort all weekend… until Oscar Piastri decided to make it his. After Lando Norris swept practice, the Aussie dropped a 1:08.662 when it mattered, nicking pole by twelve thousandths. That’s a photo finish you can measure in fingernails.
The front of the grid
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) — 1:08.662
- Lando Norris (McLaren) — +0.012
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) — +0.263
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) — +0.546 (career-best)
- George Russell (Mercedes) — +0.593
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
What actually happened
- McLaren vs McLaren, gloves off: Norris had the measure in FP1–FP3, but Piastri peaked in Q3 and held his nerve. Sector trades were knife-edge; neither improved on the second runs — the banker lap decided it.
- Verstappen rescues the roar: Home hero wrung a front-row challenge out of a tricky RB, but settles P3. Given the weekend’s balance complaints, a podium is still on.
- The kids are alright: Isack Hadjar stuck it P4 — huge. Composed, fast, zero fluke. Liam Lawson P8 backs up a monster day for Racing Bulls.
- Mercedes decent, not deadly: Russell P5, Antonelli just misses Q3 (P11). Race pace might be their play.
- Ferrari stabilizes: After a scruffy Friday, Leclerc P6 / Hamilton P7 is solid damage control at a track where track position is king.
- Aston’s swingy Saturday: Alonso P10 after yesterday’s highs and scares; Stroll out in Q1 after earlier contact — NC.
Winners & worries
- Winner: Piastri — conversion under pressure, and on Bruce McLaren’s birthday no less. Narratives write themselves.
- Winner: Racing Bulls — both cars in the top ten; development clearly bites on high-load tracks.
- Concern: Red Bull (Max) — raw speed is there in flashes, but the car window is narrow; launch + undercut will decide his fight with the papayas.
- Concern: Ferrari — respectable grid slots, but if they can’t pass here, strategy needs to be bold, not polite.
Strategy sketch for Sunday
- Track position is oxygen at Zandvoort: short lap, narrow lines, pit delta painful if caught in traffic.
- Undercut strong as tyres tip over quickly on heavy-fuel stints; expect early mirrors from McLaren if Max or Russell pit first.
- Safety Car roulette is always on the table here; banking and wind make Turn 3/Turn 1 incidents more likely.
- Starts matter: Verstappen’s launch is the pressure point — if he splits the McLarens into Turn 1, the race opens up. If not, papaya control.
Full qualifying sheets (top lines)
- Q1: Piastri 1:09.338; Stroll DNF after early off.
- Q2: Norris 1:08.874; cut line claims Antonelli (11), Tsunoda (12), Bortoleto (13), Gasly (14), Albon (15).
- Q3: Pole — Piastri 1:08.662 from Norris (+0.012) and Verstappen (+0.263).
Bottom line: McLaren locked the front row — but the gap is a rumour, not a wall. If Verstappen nails the launch or Red Bull gamble on track position, we’ve got a street fight. If not, it’s papaya airspace over the dunes.
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:09.338 | 1:08.964 | 1:08.662 | 18 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:09.469 | 1:08.874 | 1:08.674 | 18 |
| 3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:09.696 | 1:09.122 | 1:08.925 | 18 |
| 4 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:09.966 | 1:09.439 | 1:09.208 | 18 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:09.676 | 1:09.313 | 1:09.255 | 18 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:09.906 | 1:09.304 | 1:09.340 | 22 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:09.900 | 1:09.261 | 1:09.390 | 21 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:09.779 | 1:09.383 | 1:09.500 | 18 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:09.980 | 1:09.472 | 1:09.505 | 18 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:09.950 | 1:09.366 | 1:09.630 | 17 |
| 11 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:09.845 | 1:09.493 | — | 12 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:09.954 | 1:09.622 | — | 15 |
| 13 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | 1:10.037 | 1:09.622 | — | 12 |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:09.894 | 1:09.637 | — | 15 |
| 15 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:09.792 | 1:09.652 | — | 12 |
| 16 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:10.104 | — | — | 9 |
| 17 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | 1:10.195 | — | — | 9 |
| 18 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:10.197 | — | — | 9 |
| 19 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:10.262 | — | — | 9 |
| NC | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | DNF | — | — | 2 |
