14:51
The engines are beginning to fire up and drivers are preparing to get into their cars.
Verstappen at Zandvoort
© XPB Images
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
14:45
Just 15 minutes remain before qualifying gets underway, and my phone keeps reminding me that Ipswich's Premier League season also begins at 3pm UK time.
I might need to turn those notifications off for a little bit.
14:39
RIP Biscuit
Aston Martin is running with a tribute to Mick Fern on its car this weekend, after the long-standing team member of 35 years sadly passed at the end of July.
All at Crash.net pay their respects and send best wishes to the friends and family of 'Biscuit'.
Mick 'Biscuit' Fern
14:33
Whoever said F1 drivers are complicated beings? Ooooo, look, bubbles!
14:31
Half an hour before qualifying gets underway.
14:23
A pre-weekend bit of news that you may have missed if this is your first session of the weekend, is that Isack Hadjar is not competing due to sustaining a fractured wrist. He has been replaced by Liam Lawson, with the New Zealander's vacant Racing Bulls seat being filled by Yuki Tsunoda.
14:10
Sprint qualifying was a hugely entertaining session yesterday afternoon, with Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari all equally matched.
Should none have made an error with setup changes, this could be another very closely fought hour of action.
14:03
Good afternoon!
Hello and welcome back to Crash.net's coverage of qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix. George Russell took victory in this morning's sprint race, with Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris following him home.
Finishing in fourth, Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead slightly, with Lewis Hamilton only managing to score a seventh place finish.
12:39
“Nothing we can do” - Lando Norris’s bleak admission about McLaren’s big F1 weakness
“Nothing we can do” - Lando Norris’s bleak admission about McLaren’s big F1 weakness
Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has claimed there is “nothing” McLaren can currently do about its weakness in slow-speed corners.
Norris put George Russell under pressure for the opening stages of Saturday’s sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix but faded in the closing stages as he struggled with the rear-end of his McLaren.
Lando Norris highlighted McLaren's biggest weakness
12:38
'Silly season cancelled' - Mercedes had line-up "clarity" before new Max Verstappen deal
'Silly season cancelled' - Mercedes had line-up "clarity" before new Max Verstappen deal
Toto Wolff says Mercedes “had clarity for a long time” on its 2027 Formula 1 line-up, following Max Verstappen signing a new long-term deal with Red Bull.
Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen finally brought an end to the speculation over his future ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, when he announced a new multi-year deal with Red Bull.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2026 F1 Dutch GP
© XPB Images
12:37
Hamilton still hampered by "subtle change" in Zandvoort sprint
Hamilton still hampered by "subtle change" in Zandvoort sprint
Lewis Hamilton has revealed that a "subtle change" after practice was behind his struggles across the sprint phase of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.
The Ferrari driver qualified and finished in seventh place in the sprint race, and was unable to cling on to the coattails of Max Verstappen ahead.
Hamilton in Zandvoort
© XPB Images
12:21
'Silly season cancelled' - Mercedes had line-up "clarity" before new Max Verstappen deal
Toto Wolff says Mercedes was always committed to its current driver for F1 2027
'Silly season cancelled' - Mercedes had line-up "clarity" before new Max Verstappen deal
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2026 F1 Dutch GP
© XPB Images
12:02
2026 Formula 1 world championship standings after the Zandvoort sprint race
2026 Formula 1 world championship standings after the Zandvoort sprint race
Kimi Antonelli extended his lead at the top of the Formula 1 drivers' championship standings in the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race.
Antonelli may have finished in fourth place in Saturday's Zandvoort race, but with Lewis Hamilton finishing in seventh place, his points advantage extended to 53.
Turn 1 at the Dutch Grand Prix
© XPB Images
11:53
F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix: Full sprint race results
The result from the 2026 F1 Dutch Grand Prix sprint
F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix: Full sprint race results
The start of the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race
11:46
All-time F1 sprint winners
With George Russell taking his third sprint race victory of the 2026 season, he adds to his overall haul in the shorter-format races. Here is the updated list of all-time sprint race winners.
Dutch GP sprint race start
© XPB Images
11:44
George Russell boosts F1 title outlook with Dutch GP sprint win
George Russell boosts F1 title outlook with Dutch GP sprint win
George Russell claimed a convincing victory in the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race to claw back some important points in his Formula 1 world championship bid.
The 28-year-old Briton, who entered the weekend 59 points behind Mercedes team-mate and F1 championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, had to absorb early pressure from McLaren’s Lando Norris before pulling clear.
George Russell fends off Lando Norris at the start of the sprint
11:38
That's how you begin to put a title chase back on track.
11:37
Top 10 in Dutch GP sprint race
The top 10 at Zandvoort are:
- Russell
- Leclerc
- Norris
- Antonelli
- Piastri
- Verstappen
- Hamilton
- Gasly
- Bortoleto
- Lindblad
11:36
As the flag fell, heavy rain began to fall. That would have been a crazy last lap had the race been just a single tour longer. Why is this always how it seems to work in F1?
11:35
Russell wins the Dutch GP sprint
George Russell turns sprint pole into a victory. Leclerc is second and Norris third.
11:34
Heading onto the last lap, Antonelli is close enough this time on Norris. He thinks about it, but he backs out, and that is his chance gone. The top four positions are decided now.
11:31
"Rain risk is increasing."
Yes, McLaren. That's what we want to hear...although there are only two laps remaining.
11:30
At Red Bull, Verstappen has been told that the rain will not hit before the chequered flag falls.
Antonelli is now a lot closer to Norris.
11:29
In saving the battery, Antonelli has fallen back too far to make a pass.
Albon has been informed that "level one rain" is on its way. We'll believe that when we see it.
11:27
On lap 19 of 24, Leclerc has escaped from Norris by 1.6s, as Antonelli looks to be building his battery level to attempt a move into Turn one the next time around.