George Russell starts Saturday from pole position for the sprint race of the Dutch GP. The Mercedes driver narrowly beat Lando Norris during the sprint qualifying. Behind the duo are Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, making the fight for victory potentially explosive from the very first meters.
Read more ‘Russell takes pole in the lion’s den’ | Dutch GP Update
For Kimi Antonelli, the leader in the world championship, a tough task awaits. The Mercedes driver starts from fifth place, right next to Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has to settle for P6 and will therefore have to attack immediately in front of his home crowd.
Behind this duo we find Lewis Hamilton in P7 and Pierre Gasly in P8. One of the most remarkable performances came from Gabriel Bortoleto. The Brazilian impressively placed his Audi in ninth place, ahead of Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad.
Read more Lando Norris cherishes bond with the Netherlands: ‘My third home’
Fireworks outside the top 10
Behind them is an interesting combination. Liam Lawson starts eleventh in his temporary return as Verstappen’s teammate, while Yuki Tsunoda starts from P12 as Lindblad’s replacement at Racing Bulls. Both drivers get an excellent chance to prove themselves. This could easily lead to fireworks in the short sprint.
For Aston Martin, the weekend has been disastrous so far. Despite a large update package, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso are only in P19 and P22. Alonso even closes the entire starting grid.
Read more Why Red Bull chose Liam Lawson as a replacement for Isack Hadjar: ‘Lindblad was also an option’
The sprint race at Zandvoort starts Saturday at 12:00 Dutch time.
Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
