Mercedes driver beats Norris by just 0.041 seconds in the Sprint grid definition. Gabriel Bortoleto confirms Audi’s good performance, surpasses Hülkenberg in the first two phases, and secures ninth position.
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George Russell took pole position for the Sprint of the Dutch GP, held this Friday (21) in Zandvoort. The Mercedes driver clocked 1min11.567 and beat Lando Norris by just 0.041 seconds. Charles Leclerc took third place, followed by Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli.
Gabriel Bortoleto had a consistent performance throughout the Sprint Shootout. The Brazilian advanced to SQ3 after comfortably beating Nico Hülkenberg in both SQ1 and SQ2 and secured ninth position on the Sprint grid. The result reinforces Audi’s good form in the midfield pack.
After the only free practice of the weekend, it was time for the first qualifying session of the Dutch GP. In a Sprint weekend, the Sprint Shootout defines the grid for the short race this Saturday and offers teams very little time to set up their cars.
The sun appeared over Zandvoort shortly before the session started, raising the track temperature to 34°C and providing conditions completely different from those found in the free practice, which was held on a still damp track.
The Sprint format imposes a different strategy. In SQ1 and SQ2, the use of medium tires is mandatory, while in SQ3 everyone must use soft tires. Additionally, each driver has only one set of tires per segment, making it practically impossible to correct a mistake during the session.
SQ1
As soon as the pit lane was opened, Kimi Antonelli was the first driver to leave the pits. Like all other competitors, the championship leader used medium tires and started his work with two warm-up laps before the first flying lap attempt.
Antonelli set the first fast lap of the session and temporarily took the lead. George Russell appeared shortly after but ended up running wide onto the gravel in the final part of the lap. Despite the scare, he managed to return normally, while the replay showed that the initial mistake in that section was actually made by Antonelli.
With the arrival of the rest of the pack, the lead began to change hands quickly. Russell lowered the time to 1min13.829, Charles Leclerc immediately responded with 1min13.229, and seconds later, Lando Norris put the McLaren in front with 1min13.071.
At the same time, race control was analyzing a possible obstruction involving Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon at Turn 6. After a quick evaluation, the stewards decided to close the case without the need for an investigation.
While Arvid Lindblad, Tsunoda, Sainz, Albon, and Verstappen completed their first laps, Gabriel Bortoleto remained in the garage waiting for the ideal moment to start his attempt.
When he finally left the pits, the Brazilian responded impressively. With a lap of 1min13.730, he appeared directly in fifth place, surpassing George Russell and imposing almost a second advantage over Nico Hülkenberg.
The reaction immediately caught attention. Besides comfortably entering the qualifying zone, Bortoleto was ahead of a Mercedes and showed a very competitive pace precisely at the decisive moment of SQ1.
Oscar Piastri quickly responded to take second place, while Verstappen also improved and entered among the leaders. Antonelli and Russell returned to the track for another attempt and gained positions as the track continued to evolve.
In the final stretch, another incident caught race control’s attention. Verstappen was noted for a possible obstruction of Lewis Hamilton at Turn 5.
Meanwhile, Hülkenberg improved to only 12th position, remaining far from the performance shown by Bortoleto.
The checkered flag confirmed the Brazilian’s excellent first phase. Even without improving on the final attempt, Bortoleto secured ninth place and advanced comfortably to SQ2. Over the radio, he still requested a small front wing adjustment, showing he believed there was room to extract even more performance from the car.
The drivers eliminated in SQ1 were Fernando Alonso, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, and Oliver Bearman.
Aston Martin disappointed again. After a promising free practice with the debut of the new Honda engine, both cars were out in the first phase.
SQ2
After a brief break, SQ2 began.
Again using medium tires, drivers practically had only one chance to set their laps.
Oscar Piastri immediately showed an impressive pace by setting 1min12.026 and taking the session lead.
Charles Leclerc responded with 1min12.190, while Lewis Hamilton put the other Ferrari among the leaders with 1min12.445.
Max Verstappen temporarily took fifth place, and Franco Colapinto surprised by momentarily occupying sixth place.
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The Mercedes appeared a little later. Antonelli set 1min12.511 to take fourth place, while Russell clocked 1min12.235 and jumped to third.
Even so, Piastri’s lap remained the highlight at that moment.
Gabriel Bortoleto left the pits only in the final part of the session. With no time for a second attempt, he needed to get everything right in a single lap.
Right in the first sector, the Brazilian was already faster than Nico Hülkenberg. The second sector confirmed the good performance.
Upon completing his attempt, Bortoleto recorded 1min12.786 and temporarily took eighth place. The most impressive data was the best third sector of the entire session up to that moment, showing that Audi found excellent balance precisely in the most technical part of Zandvoort.
Hülkenberg responded only with 1min13.616 and remained outside the qualifying zone.
In the final moments, Norris rose to second, Gasly entered seventh, and Lindblad secured a spot among the top ten.
The checkered flag confirmed Gabriel Bortoleto in SQ3.
The eliminated drivers were Lawson, Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Ocon, and Albon.
One detail caught a lot of attention: Lawson, temporarily promoted to Red Bull after Hadjar’s injury, was eliminated in SQ2, while Lindblad, retained at Racing Bulls, advanced to SQ3, fueling questions about the team’s decision.
Up front, McLaren ended SQ2 with both drivers occupying the top two positions, reinforcing the impression that the victory achieved in Hungary before the break may indeed represent a performance turnaround for the team. Mercedes appeared a bit more discreet than expected, while Verstappen finished only eighth.
SQ3
Only eight minutes remained to decide the Sprint pole position.
This time, everyone would use soft tires.
Even with little time available, no one immediately went out on track. Teams preferred to wait for the best possible track condition, planning a single attempt with two warm-up laps.
The strategy, however, carried risks. Those who left the pits too late could end up stuck in the pit lane and not even get to start their lap.
Only when about six minutes remained did the first cars appear on track.
Lando Norris was one of the first pole contenders to complete his attempt and set 1min11.608, putting McLaren provisionally in the lead.
George Russell responded immediately. The Mercedes driver put together an even better lap, recording 1min11.567 and taking first place by just 41 thousandths.
Charles Leclerc also joined the fight with 1min11.622, provisionally securing third place, followed by Oscar Piastri, who set 1min11.666.
Gabriel Bortoleto also had only one chance. After an excellent performance in the first two phases, the Brazilian completed his attempt in 1min12.583 and initially appeared in seventh position.
Hamilton still improved to 1min12.191, Verstappen rose to sixth with 1min12.094, and Pierre Gasly recorded 1min12.578.
In the end, no one managed to beat Russell. The checkered flag confirmed George Russell as pole position for the Dutch GP Sprint.
Norris starts in second position, followed by Leclerc and Piastri. Antonelli, who led the only free practice of the weekend, finished only fifth.
Verstappen secured sixth place, Hamilton was seventh, Gasly starts eighth, Gabriel Bortoleto starts ninth, and Arvid Lindblad completes the top 10.
For Russell, the pole also represents an important opportunity in the championship fight. The Briton managed to open a gap over Antonelli on the grid and will try to reduce the difference to the World Championship leader during the Sprint, where every point earned can make a difference in the final stretch of the season.
The Sprint Shootout confirmed the balance seen throughout Friday in Zandvoort. Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari placed their cars among the top five, while Audi impressed again with Gabriel Bortoleto, who reached SQ3 and decisively beat Nico Hülkenberg in the first two qualifying phases.
Check out the starting grid for the 2026 Dutch GP Sprint Race:
1) George Russell (Mercedes), 1’11.567
2) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’11.608
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1’11.622
4) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’11.666
5) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1’11.794
6) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’12.094
7) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1’12.191
8) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’12.578
9) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 1’12.583
10) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’12.737
11) Liam Lawson (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’13.136
12) Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’13.145
13) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’13.439
14) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 1’13.616
15) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1’13.893
16) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1’14.294
17) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1’14.728
18) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), 1’14.738
19) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’15.391
20) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’15.472
21) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’15.545
22) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’16.014
Read more Dutch GP 2026: the live Sprint Qualifying of F1 in Zandvoort
