Zandvoort qualifying report: Charles Leclerc P6, Carlos Sainz P11 | 2024 F1 Dutch GP. Ferrari qualifying report from Zandvoort .

Formula 1 returns from the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix, and in the qualifying session that will determine the starting grid, Lando Norris was the fastest of all. The Englishman will have an important chance starting from Pole, but watch out: alongside him will be Max Verstappen, who put in a great lap to secure a spot on the front row. Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton were more disappointing: here are the results and a summary of the session.

Q1
Sunny skies and a dry track after the morning’s rainy practice session. After the first ten minutes with the initial set of tires, the top three were separated by just 18 thousandths of a second, with Hamilton leading at 1:11.375, followed by Norris (+0.002) and Verstappen. Behind them were Piastri, 166 thousandths back, then Gasly at three-tenths, and Stroll, Hulkenberg, and Albon at four-tenths. Leclerc posted the ninth-best time, half a second behind, closely followed by Russell (13 thousandths) and Perez (67 thousandths). Carlos Sainz was 15th, while Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Bottas, and Zhou were at risk of elimination.

In the final Q1 attempt, drivers on used tires—including Verstappen and Norris—could not improve their times. However, those on new tires saw better results, with Perez leading the pack at 1:11.006, followed by Russell, 43 thousandths behind, and Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, over three-tenths back. Tsunoda managed to save himself, while Ricciardo was eliminated, finishing behind Magnussen, Gasly, and Hulkenberg. Also out of Q2 were Ocon, Bottas, and Zhou, along with Logan Sargeant, who didn’t participate in the session due to the damage his Williams sustained in a crash during FP3.

Q2
McLaren was in great form after the first lap: Norris led with 1:10.496, just 9 thousandths ahead of Piastri and 56 thousandths ahead of Russell. Verstappen was further back by three-tenths, while Hamilton, Leclerc, and Stroll followed, half a second behind. Close behind them were Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, and Carlos Sainz. Those at risk of elimination included Magnussen, Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, and Albon, with the Danish driver being the main threat to Carlos Sainz, separated by just 95 thousandths.

The second attempt brought some big surprises: while the top four stayed in the pits, the others returned to the track. Stroll secured fourth place, ahead of Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, and a strong Alex Albon, while Pierre Gasly and Alonso, trailing Max Verstappen who took a big risk by staying in the pits, occupied the last two spots in the Top 10. The eliminated drivers were Carlos Sainz, missing out by 69 thousandths, and, surprisingly, Lewis Hamilton, who was 103 thousandths off the Aston Martin of the last qualifier, Alonso. Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, and Magnussen were also out. Ferrari expected a challenging weekend at the Zandvoort circuit and it was materialising in that manner as Carlos Sainz did not make it to the final stage of qualifying.

Q3
First attempt: Lando Norris set the fastest time with a 1:10.074, leading by a tenth over Oscar Piastri and a tenth and a half over Verstappen, who delivered an impressive lap considering the gap to the McLarens so far. Russell was further back by four-tenths, with Charles Leclerc in fifth, six-tenths off, on used tires. Pierre Gasly, also on used tires, was sixth, 1.3 seconds behind. Stroll, Alonso, Perez, and Albon delayed their entry onto the track, with the two Aston Martins taking advantage of a clear track (seventh and fifth respectively), while Sergio Perez and Alex Albon opted to wait.

Second attempt: Norris delivered a perfect lap, improving his time by three-tenths to 1:09.673! Max Verstappen managed to beat Oscar Piastri with a great lap, the two finishing three and a half tenths and four-tenths back, respectively. George Russell took fourth place for Mercedes, while Sergio Perez breathed a sigh of relief by securing a third-row start in fifth place, ahead of Charles Leclerc.