Max Verstappen finished the first qualifying during his last home race weekend at Zandvoort in sixth place on the grid. The Dutchman concludes after this first sprint qualifying at his home circuit that the other top teams – Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren – are still a bit too strong for Red Bull. “At least we finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s car,” he remains positive.
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More than a sixth place on the grid for the very first sprint race at Zandvoort is not possible for home hero Max Verstappen. The Dutchman thus starts the shortened race behind polesitter George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, and both McLarens. “At least we finished ahead of one car from a top team (Lewis Hamilton’s, ed.),” Verstappen joked after the sprint qualifying. “I mean, we have taken a step forward compared to free practice. Of course, we are still a bit behind the cars that are above us in the order.”
For Verstappen, the next step in the run-up to the Grand Prix on Sunday is clear. “Now it’s a matter of figuring out what the cause is and on which points we can still improve the balance of the car to get a bit more grip tomorrow,” he further explains. “So yes, a bit of balance, a bit of grip, so that tomorrow we are a bit closer to the others.”
Read more Sprint Qualifying Results GP Netherlands 2026
Unpredictable
If Red Bull indeed finds more speed in the RB22 during the night from Friday to Saturday, it won’t be the first time. The Austrian team is known for finding more pace during a Grand Prix weekend, but according to Verstappen, it has become a ‘bit unpredictable’ nowadays whether Red Bull can do that with the 2026 car. “We’ll see. We will analyze what we can improve. At this moment, I can’t say much about it yet.”
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Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
