McLaren fire first shot as Piastri tops Q1 at Zandvoort; Verstappen fourth, Stroll out
Sun, wind and a packed amphitheatre of orange — Zandvoort doesn’t do half measures. And neither did McLaren in Q1. Oscar Piastri led the opening act of Dutch GP qualifying with a 1:09.338, Lando Norris tucking in just 0.131s behind to lock out the top two as the session warmed up.
George Russell was the closest interloper, hustling the Mercedes to third, while a slightly muted Max Verstappen slotted fourth at his home race. Expect the volume to go up from car 1 as the grip ramps and the crowd finds its voice in Q2 and Q3.
There were bright sparks deeper in the pack too. Liam Lawson was a standout for Racing Bulls in P5, Alexander Albon kept Williams in the mix with P6, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli continued to look settled around the banking in P7. Ferrari played it safe — Lewis Hamilton ninth, Charles Leclerc 10th — with Fernando Alonso through in 11th for Aston Martin.
Alpine split fortunes: Pierre Gasly was comfortably inside the cut in eighth, but Franco Colapinto missed the Q2 train by just 0.067s in 16th after a tidy FP3 earlier in the day. Gabriel Bortoleto squeezed Sauber into the next phase with P15, while team-mate Nico Hulkenberg fell in Q1.
Haas took a double hit with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman out, and Lance Stroll recorded no time for Aston Martin after a scruffy, stop-start session for the Canadian.
Plenty of track evolution to come, plenty of lap time still on the table. We’ll keep this page updated as Q2 and Q3 unfold.
Dutch GP Qualifying 2025 — Q1 classification
– 1. Oscar Piastri, McLaren — 1:09.338
– 2. Lando Norris, McLaren — +0.131
– 3. George Russell, Mercedes — +0.338
– 4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull — +0.358
– 5. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls — +0.441
– 6. Alexander Albon, Williams — +0.454
– 7. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — +0.507
– 8. Pierre Gasly, Alpine — +0.556
– 9. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari — +0.562
– 10. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari — +0.568
– 11. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin — +0.612
– 12. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull — +0.616
– 13. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls — +0.628
– 14. Carlos Sainz, Williams — +0.642
– 15. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber — +0.699
– 16. Franco Colapinto, Alpine — +0.766
– 17. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber — +0.857
– 18. Esteban Ocon, Haas — +0.859
– 19. Oliver Bearman, Haas — +0.924
– 20. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin — No time
Q2: TBC
Q3: TBC
Notes and talking points from Q1
– McLaren control the narrative early: Both drivers looked planted in the high-load sections and confident attacking the banking. Piastri’s lap was clean and efficient; Norris had a small margin in Sector 2 but couldn’t piece it all together.
– Verstappen’s warm-up: P4 won’t alarm Red Bull yet. The track is evolving — and so is the throttle map. Expect a response as the fuel burns off and the grip comes to them.
– Racing Bulls sharpness: Lawson’s P5 lap was no fluke. The car looked lively on turn-in and compliant over the bumps, and he managed the traffic well on his push.
– Williams in both cars: Albon’s sixth underlines the FW’s low-speed bite; Sainz did what he had to in P14. There’s more time in it if the rear stays calm in Sector 3.
– Ferrari banking patience: Ninth and 10th looks conservative, but both Hamilton and Leclerc left margin on their banker laps. It would be a surprise if that’s the car’s true pace.
– Alpine split: Gasly bullish in P8; Colapinto agonisingly close to a first Q2 at Zandvoort, missing out by 0.067s.
– Stroll out without a lap: No time set for the Aston Martin. Work to do for the team around traffic and run plan if they’re to salvage Sunday.
More to come as the circuit rubbers in and the field goes hunting for thousandths in Q2. Stay tuned.
