F1 qualifying: Max Verstappen on pole for Dutch GP as Sergio Perez spin prevents Hamilton and Russell
Follow all the reaction to qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort
The Formula 1 season continues after its return in Belgium last week with this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with Max Verstappen holding a healthy 93-point lead in the World Championship with eight races to go.
The Red Bull star stormed to victory at Spa-Francorchamps at the weekend, winning by a margin of 18 seconds to team-mate Sergio Perez despite starting in P14 due to an engine penalty; Carlos Sainz took the other podium spot as he held off George Russell late on, while Charles Leclerc finished sixth. Lewis Hamilton retired for the first time this season following a first-lap collision with the Alpine of Fernando Alonso.
This weekend sees F1 roll into Zandvoort, which returned to the calendar last year when Verstappen comfortably won his home Grand Prix. The Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton earned Mercedes a one-two in first practice with Sainz third and Verstappen stopping after just 10 minutes due to a transmission issue. Second practice saw Leclerc lead a Ferrari one-two ahead of Sainz, with Hamilton third and Verstappen down in eighth with the news of Oscar Piastri signing for McLaren the main talking point from Friday.
Third practice saw Charles Leclerc go fastest - qualifying started at 2pm (BST).
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More from Lando Norris...
Verstappen drove from 14th to first at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner describing his star driver as being in a league of his own.
Verstappen was involved in a number of altercations with Hamilton during last year’s contentious title battle. But Verstappen’s run of nine victories in the 14 rounds of his title defence has passed by without controversy.
“At the end of last year it was win or nothing, but now he is looking at the bigger picture,” said McLaren’s Norris. “From what I see, it looks as though he wants to be a little bit more respectful.
“But if it went down to the wire and if he needed to pull something out of the bag, and be forceful and aggressive, it is still well within him to do things like he did last year, and push it to the absolute limit.
“If Charles was leading the championship, a few points ahead of Max, he would be taking those bigger moves and putting both of them at risk. But he leads by so many points and knows he is probably not going to finish worse than second or third.
“He has got a car which has allowed him to look like he is on another level. He could have started 20th in Spa and still won the race. It is a powerful combination. Such a team, such a car, such a driver, they look unstoppable at the moment.”
Unstoppable Verstappen could break Hamilton’s records, says Norris
Lando Norris has warned Lewis Hamilton that an “unstoppable” Max Verstappen is coming for the British driver’s records.
Verstappen heads into his home race at Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort with a commanding 93-point title lead as he closes in on his second championship triumph in as many years.
The Dutch driver’s victory last time out in Belgium took him to 29 career victories, just three short of Fernando Alonso, placing him eighth on the all-time list.
Hamilton holds the record of most wins (103) and, alongside Michael Schumacher, has been crowned champion of the world on seven occasions.
But Norris believes Verstappen, in his dominant Red Bull machine, could reach 70 wins within two seasons, leaving just Hamilton and Schumacher (91) ahead of a driver who has not yet celebrated his 25th birthday.
“If Max has two seasons like this, he can get another 30 to 40 wins in the next year-and-a-half to two years, and then he is up to 70 already, so he could quite possibly (beat Hamilton’s records),” said Norris.
“I don’t think he cares too much about numbers, or what you see on paper, he just wants to be known as the best driver.
“But if it gets to a point where it is close he will absolutely stay in Formula One as long as he needs to to get to that point.”
Mercedes on the up
This weekend sees F1 roll into Zandvoort, which returned to the calendar last year when Verstappen comfortably won his home Grand Prix. The Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton earned Mercedes a one-two in first practice with Sainz third and Verstappen stopping after just 10 minutes due to a transmission issue. Second practice saw Leclerc lead a Ferrari one-two ahead of Sainz, with Hamilton third and Verstappen down in eighth with the news of Oscar Piastri signing for McLaren the main talking point from Friday.
Verstappen leads the way
The Red Bull star stormed to victory at Spa-Francorchamps at the weekend, winning by a margin of 18 seconds to team-mate Sergio Perez despite starting in P14 due to an engine penalty; Carlos Sainz took the other podium spot as he held off George Russell late on, while Charles Leclerc finished sixth. Lewis Hamilton retired for the first time this season following a first-lap collision with the Alpine of Fernando Alonso.
Dutch Grand Prix LIVE
The Formula 1 season continues after its return in Belgium last week with this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with Max Verstappen holding a healthy 93-point lead in the World Championship with eight races to go.
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