16:05
Pole and P4. Not a bad day for McLaren.
Verstappen at Zandvoort
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F1 Zandvoort LIVE: Reaction after Norris takes Dutch GP pole
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 Dutch Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Hadjar out injured; Lawson in at Red Bull, Tsunoda at Racing Bulls
- Russell wins Zandvoort sprint race
- Hamilton making changes to find pace for qualifying
Zandvoort makes its final F1 bow this weekend after hosting the sixth race of its comeback stint on the calendar. Max Verstappen has previously taken two wins on home soil, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have shared the other two victories to date.
As F1 returns from its summer break, there are limited upgrades on display, with Aston Martin and Alpine attracting the most attention. The former is due to the power unit upgrade being brought by Honda. Although early indications suggested a power boost of between 30-50bhp, expectations were cooled ahead of the weekend, before Fernando Alonso qualified slowest for the sprint race.
Alpine, however, has brought an eight-part aerodynamic upgrade for Pierre Gasly's car. The changes appear to have worked, with the Frenchman returning to the top 10 in sprint qualifying.
A wrist injury to Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar has seen a switch of drivers at both the front-running team and Racing Bulls, with Liam Lawson moving up to replace the Frenchman, whilst veteran Yuki Tsunoda has been drafted in to partner Arvid Lindblad.
The weekend is the fifth Sprint event of the season, meaning that Friday saw a single practice session before sprint qualifying in the afternoon. George Russell's sprint race win concluded the sprint element of the weekend, with normal service resuming with regular qualifying on Saturday afternoon, and then the grand prix on Sunday.
Rain is expected to play a part this weekend, with a chance of wet running on Saturday, after Friday began in damp conditions.
2026 Dutch Grand Prix Saturday schedule
Sprint Race: 11:00am BST - 12:00pm BST
Qualifying: 3:00pm BST - 4:00pm BST
22 Aug 2026
18:29
“It’s a lottery” - Aston Martin plagued by “a lot of issues” with new Honda F1 engine
Honda’s updated power unit has come in for criticism after Dutch GP qualifying.
“It’s a lottery” - Aston Martin plagued by “a lot of issues” with new Honda F1 engine
Aston Martin at the 2026 F1 Dutch GP
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17:52
Lewis Hamilton makes Zandvoort F1 breakthrough after “starting again” for qualifying
Lewis Hamilton was much happier with his Ferrari F1 car in qualifying for the Dutch GP.
Lewis Hamilton makes Zandvoort F1 breakthrough after “starting again” for qualifying
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, 2026 F1 Dutch GP
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16:59
McLaren boss claims Zandvoort pole 'adds substance' to Lando Norris' Hungary win
McLaren boss claims Zandvoort pole 'adds substance' to Lando Norris' Hungary win
McLaren boss Andreas Stella believes that Lando Norris' continued success at the Dutch Grand Prix 'adds substance' to the improved performance trend seen across recent Formula 1 weekends.
Norris backed up his victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix with a strong performance in the Zandvoort sprint race, before taking pole position for Sunday's race.
Norris speaks after taking pole at Zandvoort
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16:14
F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix: Full qualifying result at Zandvoort
The full qualifying result at the 2026 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix
F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix: Full qualifying result at Zandvoort
Norris's challenge faded late in the sprint
16:04
Mercedes will provide a major threat on Sunday, as Norris looks to score back-to-back grands prix victories.
16:03
Red Bull will hope there's a chance to move forward on Sunday.
16:02
Norris takes pole at Zandvoort
15:59
Even with time remaining on the clock, that is that, and Lando Norris will start the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position. Russell and Antonelli follow him, with team-mate Piastri in fourth.
15:58
Hamilton also improves, and displaces Leclerc in fifth. But this was a day of far higher expectations for Ferrari.
15:58
Leclerc improves but remains in fifth place.
15:57
Leclerc and Hamilton are going again though, as the other eight drivers return to the pits.
15:57
Hamilton is doing nothing and is ninth fastest right now. This is a dreadful, dreadful day for the Ferrari man.
15:56
Antonelli goes fastest with a 1m11.296s, but Norris sets a 1m11.163s to go back to the top!
Russell splits the pair in second place!
15:55
Hold that thought! Russell is going purple, as is Norris!
15:55
Hamilton finally comes out of the pits, but the rain is properly falling and the umbrellas have gone up. Improvements are unlikely now!
15:54
Rain is falling, and Norris is defending his line, preventing Russell from getting past. This is a full-blown race right now.
15:53
Seven minutes remain, and Antonelli heads straight back out. No messing about here with the rain predicted to fall in just one minute!
15:52
Leclerc is fourth but Antonelli continues to struggle this weekend and is fifth fastest. Verstappen and Lawson follow.
The changes made on Hamilton's car haven't worked, and he is down in eighth place. A miserable day.
15:51
Piastri did only a single push lap and is second fastest to Norris who has a 1m11.344s. But Russell goews second fastest!
15:50
Piastri is the driver who will cross the line last of all. However, rain is expected to hit in the closing stages of the session! This could be mad!
15:48
Green flag in Q3
The green light comes on for one final time, and Q3 is underway.
Only Lindblad and Bortoleto have a single set of new softs. The rest of the top 10 have two new sets.
15:44
Into the top 10 battle for pole are:
15:40
Chequered flag in Q2
The flag falls and Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Ocon, and Albon are out.
15:39
A 1m 11.628s for Norris as he leads a McLaren 1-2 with Piastri. Verstappen goes to third place as Leclerc, Antonelli, and Russell follow,.