Lando Norris takes Dutch Grand Prix pole ahead of George Russell at Zandvoort

Qualifying battle at Zandvoort

Lando Norris took pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, the 12th round of the 23-race 2026 Formula 1 season, during Saturday qualifying. Driving for McLaren on the 4.259-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort, Norris set a benchmark lap time of 1:11.163 in the third qualifying phase. The result marks the 18th pole position of his career and his second at the Dutch circuit, following his race victory at the venue in 2024. Norris entered the weekend having also taken pole position and the race win at the Hungarian Grand Prix on 26 July. George Russell qualified second for Mercedes, finishing 0.102 seconds behind Norris. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli secured third on the grid, trailing by 0.144 seconds, while Oscar Piastri finished fourth in the second McLaren at 0.142 seconds from the top time.

I am a bit surprised honestly but it was a decent lap. I pushed because we see how tight it is here, it comes down to one or two hundredths of a second. It is a good turnaround compared to the start of the day where we suffered a bit. The team did a good job.

Grid order and team positions

Mercedes and McLaren locked out the front two rows of the grid, with Antonelli and Piastri set to share row two behind Norris and Russell. The third row belongs to Ferrari teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who qualified fifth and sixth with gaps of 0.331 and 0.395 seconds to the pole time. Red Bull Racing took row four as Max Verstappen placed seventh, 0.455 seconds behind Norris, alongside Liam Lawson in eighth at 0.570 seconds. Lawson is standing in for regular driver Isack Hadjar, who is unable to race because of a wrist injury. In the second half of the field, Pierre Gasly qualified 11th for Alpine, while Esteban Ocon took 15th for Haas. Drivers will contest 72 laps, or a maximum duration of two hours, when the Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday at 15:00 local time.

Sprint race and technical adjustments

Saturday afternoon's qualifying session followed the 24-lap sprint race held earlier in the day, which Russell controlled from the opening lap to the finish. Leclerc overtook Norris during the morning sprint to take second place behind Russell, leaving Norris in third position despite securing a podium finish. Norris expressed frustration after the sprint race regarding the balance of his McLaren through slower sections of the track. Alpine driver Gasly finished eighth in the sprint, collecting a single championship point. McLaren subsequently modified the car setup between sessions to provide greater stability in slow-speed corners ahead of qualifying.

There is nothing we can do, the car is very good at high speed but completely out of contention at low speed.

Championship standings and circuit history

Antonelli leads the Drivers' Championship with 224 points, maintaining a 53-point advantage over Hamilton, who sits second with 171 points. Russell is third in the championship standings with 168 points, followed by Leclerc on 145 points, Norris on 134 points, and Verstappen on 112 points. Historical results at the North Sea circuit include Piastri's 2025 performance, when the Australian secured pole position in 1:08.662 and went on to win the Grand Prix. Verstappen holds the record for the most Dutch Grand Prix wins among active drivers with three victories in 2021, 2022, and 2023. British driver Jim Clark holds the all-time track record with four career victories at Zandvoort, achieved in 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1967.