Mercedes' George Russell took pole in the 2026 Sprint Qualifying at Zandvoort, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc placing second and third, respectively.
Under pressure to perform in the second half of the 2026 Formula One season, George Russell started on a good note by taking pole in Sprint Qualifying at Circuit Zandvoort. Russell put in a spectacular lap to put his Mercedes on the front for the Sprint race on Saturday.
SQ1: Aston Martin gets knocked out early despite upgrades
Knocked out:
17. Oliver Bearman, Haas
18. Carlos Sainz, Williams
19. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
20. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac
21. Sergio Perez, Cadillac
22. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
Despite fitting their upgraded power unit, Aston Martin still failed to get past the first session of Sprint Qualifying. Fernando Alonso was nowhere near the time to beat, which is quite the disappointment for the Silverstone-based squad.
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, who is fresh off a new multi-year contract extension with Williams, failed to join his teammate Alex Albon in SQ2.
Mercedes driver and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli had a scare in his first fast lap, but was able to put in a bunker lap on his next attempt. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc topped the first session, with McLaren's Lando Norris trailing behind.
SQ2: Bortoleto gets Audi to the final session
Knocked out:
11. Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing
12. Yuki Tsunoda, Racing Bulls
13. Franco Colapinto, Alpine
14. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi
15. Esteban Ocon, Haas
16. Alex Albon, Williams
Audi didn't bring major upgrades to Zandvoort, but it seems like the track is suiting them well. Gabriel Bortoleto surprised everyone with an incredible lap to put his Audi on SQ3. Unfortunately for Nico Hulkenberg, he did not have the same one-lap pace as Bortoleto.
Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, both stepping up to new seats this weekend, failed to match their respective teammates' pace. Still, it was a decent performance for the two drivers, considering this was their first qualifying sessions for their new (but previous) teams.
Franco Colapinto wasn't able to make the cut, but his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly did. Alpine brought the most upgrades to the Dutch Grand Prix, so it's nice to see that it is paying off so far.
SQ3:
Top 10 placements for Saturday Sprint:
1. George Russell, Mercedes
2. Lando Norris, McLaren
3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
4. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
5. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
7. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
8. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
9. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
10. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Lando Norris was the first to cross the finish line in SQ3, and he put in an incredible lap for provisional pole. But it was George Russell who stole the show, finishing -0.041 ahead of Norris.
Lewis Hamilton, despite the Ferrari's upgraded floor, couldn't match the pace of the other frontrunners. Leclerc was way ahead of him at P3, locking the second row with Oscar Piastri in P4.
