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Russell takes Zandvoort sprint pole as Verstappen lines up sixth
George Russell secured pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race ahead of Lando Norris, while championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli starts fifth.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-08-21T16:39:29.000Z - 2 min read
George Russell will lead the field off the line for the 24-lap sprint race at Zandvoort after securing pole position during a competitive qualifying session. The Mercedes driver edged out his rivals to claim the top spot, setting up a direct battle at the front of the grid for the opening competitive action of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.
Sharing the front row alongside Russell will be Lando Norris, placing the McLaren driver in a prime position to challenge the Mercedes into the tight opening corners of the coastal circuit. Behind them, Charles Leclerc anchors the second row in his Ferrari, with the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri slotting in directly alongside the Monegasque driver.
Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli lines up fifth in the second Mercedes, sharing the third row with home favourite Max Verstappen. Verstappen faces a demanding afternoon on home soil as he tries to carve his way forward from sixth in his Red Bull during the shorter Saturday encounter.
Lewis Hamilton endured a more difficult qualifying session and will start down in seventh place in his Ferrari, leaving him with ground to recover if he wants to challenge the leading pack. Pierre Gasly secured eighth position for Alpine, while rookie standout Gabriel Bortoleto placed ninth for Audi ahead of Arvid Lindblad, who rounds out the top ten for Racing Bulls.
Further back down the order, Liam Lawson occupies eleventh for Red Bull, just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda and Franco Colapinto. Nico Hulkenberg starts fourteenth in the second Audi, followed by Esteban Ocon for Haas and the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman in sixteenth and seventeenth respectively.
Carlos Sainz lines up eighteenth in his Williams ahead of Lance Stroll, while the Cadillac pair of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez occupy the twentieth and twenty-first grid slots. Fernando Alonso brings up the rear of the 22-car field in twenty-second after encountering a rear wing problem during the session with his newly upgraded Aston Martin.
Paddocks are keeping a close eye on the weather radar as preparations continue, with forecasts suggesting rain could hit Zandvoort ahead of the sprint race. The shorter Saturday format gets underway at 11am UK time, leaving teams with little margin to adjust setups if wet weather alters track conditions.