Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix with a 1:11.163 lap at Zandvoort, edging George Russell by 0.102 seconds, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli third as Mercedes locked out three of the top four grid positions for Sunday's main race.
Lando Norris claimed pole position for Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort with a superb final-sector lap of 1:11.163, edging George Russell by just 0.102 seconds and giving McLaren the crucial advantage on a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli made it a Mercedes sandwich in third, just 0.133s off pole, with Oscar Piastri fourth to give McLaren and Mercedes a clean sweep of the front two rows. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, Charles Leclerc sixth, and Max Verstappen seventh in front of his home crowd, the Dutch driver unable to extract the one-lap pace needed to challenge at a circuit where he has historically dominated.
The qualifying result sets up a fascinating strategic battle for Sunday's 72-lap Grand Prix. Zandvoort's tight, banked layout makes track position decisive, and with three Mercedes cars in the top five, the team has the numerical advantage to control the race should they convert their qualifying pace. Norris, however, starts from the clean side of the grid with the pole advantage into the heavy-braking Tarzan first corner.
The session followed Saturday's sprint, which was won by George Russell from pole ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, with Antonelli fourth. Russell's sprint victory, his third of the 2026 season, trimmed his championship deficit to Antonelli, but pole for Norris gives McLaren the initiative heading into the main race.
Zandvoort's final appearance on the calendar under the current contract adds an emotional weight to the weekend, and a sell-out Dutch crowd will be hoping Verstappen can convert his home grand prix into a result that reignites his 2026 campaign from seventh on the grid.
Norris edges Russell
Lando Norris claimed pole with a 1:11.163 lap, edging George Russell by 0.102 seconds and giving McLaren the crucial advantage on a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
Kimi Antonelli was third, 0.133s off pole, with Oscar Piastri fourth as Mercedes and McLaren locked out the front two rows.
Verstappen seventh at home
Max Verstappen qualified seventh in front of his home crowd, unable to extract the one-lap pace needed to challenge at a circuit where he has historically dominated.
A sell-out Dutch crowd will be hoping he can convert his home grand prix into a result that reignites his 2026 campaign.
The strategic picture
With three Mercedes cars in the top five, the team has the numerical advantage to control the race should they convert their qualifying pace.
The session followed Saturday's sprint, won by George Russell from pole, his third sprint win of the 2026 season.