Dutch GP: Oscar Piastri sits on pole, as McLaren book front row

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New Delhi: Oscar Piastri has taken the pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, his first since the Spanish Grand Prix, with his teammate and fellow Driver’s championship contender Lando Norris taking second place, ahead of Max Verstappen. Just nine points separate Piastri from his teammate, and this race by just 0.0012 seconds, meaning the Sunday race will be tight between the two Papaya cars.

Norris had led in all three practice sessions, but Piastri looked to be in the right rhythm in the qualifying. In Q3, Piastri was flying, setting a 1:08.662-second lap in the first flying lap in the final session, a record at Zandvoort, as Norris followed him in heels.

Q3: Two McLarens fighting for pole, Verstappen in distant P3

McLaren’s though didn’t improve in their final run of Q3 but had a huge gap from the rest of the pack with Verstappen falling behind by 0.265 seconds, Piastri. Still, in his home race, Verstappen improved on his final Q3 run, as he had been 0.386 seconds off in the provisional P3 following the first run. 

While Verstappen might not look challenging to McLaren, he was 0.2 seconds ahead of George Russell, who had the Provisional P4. The two Ferrari teams, too, were competing with each other, with just Lewis Hamilton ahead of Charles Leclerc by 0.010 seconds. For rookie driver Isack Hadjar, it was the run of his life, starting in the second row ahead of Russell and the two Ferraris, with Leclerc managing to go ahead of the seven-time World Champion Hamilton. Liam Lawson claimed eighth place, standing ahead of Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso.

Q2: Ferrari play the redemption game after a poor start to the weekend

The two Ferrari drivers had gone to the Q3 by just a little margin between them. With three minutes left on the clock in Q2, Hamilton and Leclerc were fourth and fifth, with the Monegasque driver just three-tenths of a second from the elimination zone. While they managed to save those spots, Leclerc was 0.170 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz, who was fastest in Q2.

For Ferrari, it has been a shaky season despite the much-anticipated Hamilton move, which hasn’t worked well for them. Before the summer, Hamilton’s Hungarian GP saw him finish 12th, from where he had started, and on return, the Friday sessions weren’t to Ferrari’s side, falling a second behind McLaren, which isn’t enough to keep them in second place in the Constructors’ championship.

Ferrari in qualification may have turned around their luck by some inches, with both drivers making multiple Q2 runs to check the set-up changes, and both drivers made some clean, competitive laps to be in the top five. However, in the times that they have seen, it is fair to say, none of them will be celebrating till the race is over.

Q1: Lance Stroll Out early, but Aston Martin have lot to cheer for

Lance Stroll was Aston Martin’s weakling as he crashed out early in the session and failed to record any time. Nico Hulkenberg is in the lead for most Q1 exits this season, with Stroll and Esteban Ocon not too far behind. For Aston Martin, though it has been a positive weekend with Alonso looking threatening in the practice sessions, the two cars were looking for a top ten spot.

Stroll had crashed out in FP2, and the car needed to be rebuilt overnight, with a chassis change. It broke the curfew rule, which is when mechanics have to leave the paddock. However, all of this went down the waste bin as Stroll didn’t even manage to stay for one full lap. His left-side tyres touched the grass, making him spin into the barriers at the start of the penultimate corner. While he managed to head back to the garage, the damage was so extensive that he couldn’t go back during Q1. 

Alonso went 11th fastest in Q1, and in Q2 even took away the top 10 spot from Kimi Antonelli, who will start 11th on Sunday. It will take a lot of work for Stroll to score points in the face of the tensions Aston Martin are facing in the Constructor Championship bid.

Sauber are behind the sixth-placed Aston by just one point. For Aston Martin, what is their great is that Sauber only have one driver who survived Q1, with Nico Hulkenberg being knocked out, as was Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and the two Hass cars, with Gabriel Bortoleto managing to advance.