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Max Verstappen beats Charles Leclerc to take pole position at his home Grand Prix, while Sergio Perez crashes during Dutch GP qualifying.
Max Verstappen beats Charles Leclerc to take pole position at his home Grand Prix, while Sergio Perez crashes during Dutch GP qualifying.
Championship leader Max Verstappen will start from pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix in his home country, after taking first place from Charles Leclerc with a blistering final lap in a competitive qualifying at Zandvoort.
Verstappen, who put a messy start to the weekend behind him, edged out Leclerc by just 0.021s with his last-ditch effort, with Carlos Sainz also a tenth of a second off Ferrari’s leading Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton was in contention during a thrilling penalty shootout and may have had a shot at pole position, but was denied the chance after a spectacular spin at the penultimate corner by Sergio Perez brought out yellow flags.
Hamilton would eventually finish three tenths back in fourth, while George Russell was also hampered by Pérez’s mistake and finished behind the other Red Bull in sixth.
“It’s very frustrating – we were a second ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen, so Lewis was on pole,” team boss Toto Wolff insisted.
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A flare on the track causes a red flag during qualifying at the Dutch GP.
A flare on the track causes a red flag during qualifying at the Dutch GP.
Verstappen, for his part, said: “Amazing. It’s special. Especially after yesterday as well. We had a difficult day, but we worked really well during the night with the whole team to turn around.”
A sold-out sea of orange cheered on their world champion Verstappen on Saturday, and at one point in qualifying he went a step too far when a flare was thrown onto the track to prompt a red flag.
But Verstappen battled it out for pole in the dying embers of the session, with Leclerc claiming provisional pole with his first lap of Q3 before following up with another improvement.
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Karun Chandhok looks at the qualifying laps of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc as they battled for pole at the Dutch GP.
Karun Chandhok looks at the qualifying laps of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc as they battled for pole at the Dutch GP.
Verstappen fell in front of his title rival at the start of his critical lap but put in a blistering mid-sector to help him claim his fourth pole of 2022, sparking wild scenes in the stands.
Verstappen, who has a 93-point lead in the title and is well on his way to defending his crown, will aim for his 10th win of the season on Sunday.
Dutch GP classification: Top 101) Max Verstappen, Red Bull2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes5) Sergio Pérez, Red Bull6) George Russell, Mercedes7) Lando Norris, McLaren8) Mick Schumacher , Haas9) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
Bengals, pigeons and Ricciardo ai | Qualy’s other stories
In a weekend where McLaren won an important battle against Alpine off the track by securing Oscar Piastri for 2023, they have also been faster, with Lando Norris again showing his star quality.
Norris, while not in contention at the front as his pace suggested on Friday, comfortably took seventh. This result was all the more impressive given that Daniel Ricciardo was knocked out in Q1, and his miserable state continued.
There were three relative surprises elsewhere in the top 10 in Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll, although the Aston Martin driver was denied even a lap in Q3 due to a problem with the car
The two Alpines were surprisingly eliminated in Q2 – with Fernando Alonso blaming Red Bull’s Perez for getting in the way of his lap – while the second segment also saw a strange sequence of events.
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Alex Albon’s lap was interrupted by pigeons on the track during qualifying at the Dutch GP.
Alex Albon’s lap was interrupted by pigeons on the track during qualifying at the Dutch GP.
Alex Albon was the only driver out at the start of Q2 when red flags were waved due to an orange flare being thrown from the stands onto the track, while the Williams driver also he complained that the pigeons were disturbing him.
The flare and the perpetrator were quickly removed, while an F1 marshal also chased away the pigeons.
The shock exit from Q1 alongside Ricciardo was Sebastian Vettel, with the soon-to-retire Aston Martin legend running into the gravel in his final effort.
Mercedes’ missed opportunity and Rosberg’s career prediction
Five drivers were determined to fight for pole on Saturday and even in the closing stages these five – Verstappen, Leclerc, Sainz, Hamilton and Russell – had a chance.
But while the top three managed to complete their final laps without interruption, that was not the case for the Mercedes drivers after Perez’s late spin.
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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was left frustrated after Sergio Perez’s Q3 finish, which he believes could have denied Lewis Hamilton pole for the Dutch GP.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was left frustrated after Sergio Perez’s Q3 finish, which he believes could have denied Lewis Hamilton pole for the Dutch GP.
“To be coming through Q1 and Q2 and to be only a tenth off a Red Bull was a great feeling,” Hamilton said. “It really gave me a lot of hope to be able to fight for the front row, but obviously the yellow flag at the end was a bit unfortunate.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff later went a step further insisting Hamilton had pole in the bag.
But as Sky Sports F1’s Nico Rosberg said, Mercedes’ pace in qualifying and Ferrari’s similarly improved showing seasoning in Sunday’s race, which will be seen live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm: 00 with an accumulation from 12:30.
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc identified Turn 10 as the main reason for losing out on pole at Circuit Zandvoort to Max Verstappen.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc identified Turn 10 as the main reason for losing out on pole at Circuit Zandvoort to Max Verstappen.
“Max has track position though, so you probably say he has to be the favourite, plus he’s generally in such great form as a driver,” said Rosberg, the 2016 world champion.
“But it will be very interesting because Ferrari are likely to split the strategy, and we’ll see if Lewis can play a part as well.
“If Mercedes find the improvement to their usual qualifying pace in the race, or even a fraction of that, Lewis will be there putting a lot of pressure on. And Lewis is quick in the races, as we know.
“So I think we’re in for a really exciting one, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”
Qualifying time sheet for the Dutch GP
Pilot Team Time 8) Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:10.342 1) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.021 2) Carlos Sainz …