Oscar Piastri Narrowly Storms To Pole Position At The Dutch Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri secured a stunning pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, edging out McLaren teammate Lando Norris in a nail-biting qualifying session at Zandvoort.

The Australian delivered the decisive lap early in Q3, and despite Norris’ late push, the Briton fell just 0.012 seconds short. Home favourite Max Verstappen settled for third, giving the Dutch crowd reason to cheer with Red Bull still firmly in the fight.

One of the standout stories of the session came from Isack Hadjar, who claimed a career-best P4 in the Racing Bulls, outpacing Mercedes’ George Russell in fifth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton lined up behind in sixth and seventh, while Hadjar’s teammate Liam Lawson ensured both Racing Bulls cars reached the top 10 with eighth place.

Carlos Sainz steered his Williams to ninth, while Fernando Alonso completed the top 10 for Aston Martin. Just missing out were Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in 11th and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in 12th, followed by Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in 13th and 14th respectively.

Alex Albon endured a frustrating session, eliminated in 15th after tyre struggles he later criticised. Franco Colapinto narrowly missed Q2 in 16th, with Nico Hulkenberg enduring another tough run for Kick Sauber in 17th.

It was a difficult afternoon for Haas as Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman ended up 18th and 19th. Lance Stroll brought up the rear in 20th after contact with the barriers early in Q1 forced him out of contention.

With Piastri and Norris locking out the front row, McLaren head into Sunday’s race as favourites, but Verstappen’s home support and Hadjar’s breakthrough performance promise a dramatic showdown at Zandvoort.

2025 Dutch Grand Prix: Qualifying Results