Norris snatches Zandvoort pole from Russell in rain-threatened shootout

Lando Norris described it as the best lap of his life as he stormed to pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix. In a session shadowed by looming rain clouds, the McLaren driver narrowly beat Sprint winner George Russell to secure the prime starting slot at Zandvoort.

With light rain beginning to fall during the final Q3 runs, track position and tyre preparation proved critical. Russell, hunting his second pole of the weekend, set a blistering pace but was ultimately denied by Norris. The McLaren star clocked a 1:11.163 to edge his Mercedes rival by a mere 0.102 seconds.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli bounced back from a messy Sprint Qualifying to secure third on the grid, finishing just 0.031 seconds adrift of his teammate. Oscar Piastri will start fourth, setting up an incredibly tight top two rows featuring purely McLaren and Mercedes machinery.

Stand-ins and midfield battles

Photos: F1

Liam Lawson delivered a stellar performance in his Red Bull return. Deputising for the injured Isack Hadjar, the New Zealander reached Q3 and secured eighth on the grid, qualifying just a tenth behind teammate Max Verstappen.

Further back, Yuki Tsunoda missed out on the top-10 shootout by just a tenth of a second in his first weekend back in the Racing Bulls seat, closely following Pierre Gasly who narrowly missed the cut in 11th.

Q1 claimed several high-profile casualties with the exact same bottom six eliminated as in Friday’s Sprint Qualifying. Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were amongst the big names failing to escape the first segment on a rapidly evolving track.

Starting grid top 10

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
8. Liam Lawson (Red Bull Racing)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)

🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧
🫧 Fernando 🫧
🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧🫧

😂
#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/ncaqTZ8PZa

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 22, 2026