Oscar Piastri took pole for McLaren at the Dutch Grand Prix, beating Lando Norris by 0.012 seconds as the Q3 flag fell over Zandvoort. The margins were razor-thin in sector timing, with the top times so close that even perfect laps would only shave seconds off the final gaps.
Isack Hadjar delivered a standout performance for Racing Bulls, qualifying in fourth place and placing the team as the third-fastest on the day in dry conditions. He was the only driver in Q3 to improve his time in all three sectors on his final run, a feat that helped the team leap past Mercedes and Ferrari. Hadjar’s result comes after Racing Bulls hadn’t shown such dry-weather pace for almost two years, and it echoed a similar moment from Daniel Ricciardo at the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix when he lined up fourth on the grid alongside Verstappen.
The bigger picture on Saturday saw McLaren holding the advantage in qualifying ahead of Red Bull, which bounced back from their Hungaroring setback to post the second-fastest time. Behind them, Mercedes and Ferrari were bunched together, while Racing Bulls’ surge marked a notable win in pace over those rivals and signaled a potential shift in the balance of power for Sunday.
A deeper look at the sector times underscored how tight the session was: McLaren’s two drivers were in a near-toss-up, with Piastri narrowly taking pole over Norris. The gap would’ve been even smaller if both drivers had produced perfect laps. It was also a weekend where the track record at Zandvoort finally fell. Norris first broke it in Q2, but Piastri’s pole time set a fresh benchmark that was about two tenths faster than the previous generation’s best.
Racing Bulls also posted the second-largest year-on-year lap-time improvement of any team, with Sauber showing more dramatic gains but still finishing behind them on the grid. Notably, both Racing Bulls drivers advanced to Q3, while Sauber’s lineup did not.
What this means for Sunday: the qualification result adds momentum for Racing Bulls after a dry-season stretch, and it gives the team something tangible to build on as they head into the Dutch Grand Prix. For McLaren, the pole confirms their pace advantage, while the rest of the midfield will be trying to close the gap in long-run pace and race setup.
Summary: Oscar Piastri claimed a well-deserved pole for McLaren as Norris joined him on the front row, with Isack Hadjar delivering a breakout performance to place Racing Bulls as the third-fastest team on track in dry conditions. The session featured a track-record-breaking pace, close sector times, and a clear sign that Racing Bulls may be positioned to challenge deeper into the weekend. If the pace translates to Sunday, the Dutch Grand Prix could offer an exciting narrative turnaround for the team and a hopeful boost for its season.