George Russell was the biggest winner of Friday’s Sprint Qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix, taking pole position for Saturday’s Sprint. The Mercedes driver puts himself in a strong position to catch up with Formula 1 championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Russell was just 0.041 seconds behind Lando Norris, who clocked a 1:11.567 in SQ3. Charles Leclerc qualified third ahead of Oscar Piastri, while Antonelli was able to settle for fifth. Lewis Hamilton was further back in seventh.
Winners: George Russell, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc
It was a perfect time for Russell’s pole. The Mercedes driver is 59 points behind teammate Antonelli in the championship standings, but has the chance to catch up as soon as he gets to Sprint Qualifying at Zandvoort.
The outcome was especially remarkable, considering that Antonelli had led the only practice session earlier on Friday. Russell subsequently found the extra pace when it mattered most, delivering Mercedes another Sprint pole.
(Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/LAT Images)
Norris was another clear winner. The McLaren driver was just 0.041 seconds off pole and will be starting with Russell, ensuring he remains at the top of the Sprint points table.
Leclerc also deserves a shout-out for his third-place finish. Ferrari has come to Zandvoort with improvements and Leclerc’s place indicates that the team has got good performance out of its package.
Losers: Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin
Antonelli’s fifth place finish wasn’t bad, but it was disappointing given his pace in practice. The championship leader also had a moment at the end of SQ2 when he ran into the gravel, ruining his session. Antonelli said he lost about 25 points of downforce, which helped to account for his loss to Russell.
Hamilton’s seventh-place finish is especially disappointing. The Ferrari driver is 50 points behind Antonelli and must always come out on top of his championship rival to narrow the gap. Instead, he will start the Sprint two places behind Antonelli and six behind Russell.
Another driver who was left wanting more was Max Verstappen. The home favourite qualified sixth and will therefore be behind both Mercedes drivers and the two McLarens.
Aston Martin had a particularly tough session. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were eliminated in SQ1, with Alonso finishing last after his team’s upgrade package was hampered by a rear-wing problem.
Now, with just eight drivers earning points in the Sprint, Russell has the ideal chance to apply pressure to both Antonelli and Hamilton ahead of Sunday’s main Dutch Grand Prix.