With a time of 1'08"662 , Oscar Piastri won the pole on the Zandvoort track, spoiling the party for Lando Norris who dominated all three free practice sessions. By just twelve thousandths, the English driver had to line up behind his teammate, postponing any intentions of attacking in tomorrow's race, when he'll still be starting from the front row. So, another potential McLaren one-two is expected, although Max Verstappen, at just two tenths behind, will certainly have to fight to the finish.
If the first three places aren't surprising, Isack Hadjarps performace stunned everyone. Many thought he was close to switching to Red Bull despite his reservations. The Racing Bulls French driver finished fourth, ahead of George Russell's Mercedes. Confirming the difficulties encountered on Friday, which likely not been resolved, the two Ferraris did no better than a third row with Charles Leclerc ahead of Lewis Hamilton, but mostly with an important gap of about seven tenths on the papayas.
The icing on the cake of a good day for the Racing Bulls was Liam Lawson's eighth place, followed at a handful of thousandths by Carlos Sainz's Williams and Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin, who was amazing in Free Practice 2 yesterday when he entered the Top 3. Instead, out from the Q2 were both Andrea Antonelli with Mercedes (still unable to recover from his negative moment) and Yuki Tsunoda with Red Bull, 12th after Friday's disappointment. Of note was the Lance Stroll's last position. He was again involved in an accident right at the start of the qualifying session.
"I brought out the best at the right time. I'm really happy with the result I got, even if the points are earned in the race. Considering that it's been a tricky weekend so far, today's outcome is positive. There are still aspects to improve. I'll try to beat Lando," the poleman stated.
"It was a close fight. I'm sorry I didn't get first place, but a gust of headwind in the straights caused me to lose a tenth. Tomorrow's going to be fun. In 2024, we both had a bad start," said the English driver.
"Qualifying was where I felt most at ease here. I'm happy with the energy I get from the crowd. The McLarens are fast, and we'll have to think about our race," Mad Max reflectrf.
