Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed with fourth for Racing Bulls. Russell, Leclerc, and Hamilton rounded out the top seven
Zandvoort: The grid is set and anticipation is high for the 2025 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix, with championship contenders and rising stars poised for a 72-lap battle around the fast, flowing Zandvoort circuit.
Oscar Piastri will lead the field from pole position after narrowly beating McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris by just 0.012 seconds in a tense qualifying session. McLaren’s front-row lockout gives Piastri a golden opportunity to extend his nine-point championship lead, while Norris, who dominated all practice sessions, will be determined to fight back when the lights go out.
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Local hero Max Verstappen starts third for Red Bull and will be looking to ignite the passionate Dutch crowd, though his car’s deficit to pole highlights McLaren’s recent dominance. Verstappen shares the second row with rookie Isack Hadjar, whose breakthrough performance puts his Racing Bulls car fourth—a career-best qualifying result.
Mercedes’ George Russell starts fifth, ahead of the Ferrari pair, with Charles Leclerc edging out Lewis Hamilton for sixth by a narrow margin. Hamilton’s seventh-place grid spot marks his first Q3 appearance since Silverstone, offering hope for Ferrari's campaign in the second half of the season.
Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson lines up eighth, Williams’ Carlos Sainz ninth, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso completes the top ten. Alonso showed early weekend pace but couldn’t match the frontrunners in qualifying.
Further down, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto occupy the midfield spots. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Alex Albon (Williams), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), and Esteban Ocon (Haas) start in the latter rows. Haas’ Oliver Bearman and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll round out the grid, with Stroll starting 20th after crashing out for the second day running.
As the teams make final preparations, all eyes turn to the 6:30 PM IST race start, where pole-sitter Oscar Piastri and the rest of the field will look to seize their chance in what promises to be a dramatic contest by the North Sea.
Published: 31 Aug 2025, 07:42 am IST
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