Oscar Piastri stormed to pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 30, 2025, edging out Lando Norris by a razor-thin 0.012 seconds. The Australian also set a new outright lap record for the Zandvoort circuit during qualifying, erasing Norris’s mark set moments earlier, while the previous best had stood since Max Verstappen’s 2021 lap.
Piastri admitted the weekend had been challenging up to this point, but he was thrilled with the result. “The weekend had been a bit difficult so far, I’m really happy to have managed to pull this off,” he said after seizing pole, a position Norris had consistently claimed during practice.
Norris, disappointed not to grab pole, blamed a slight headwind down the back straight for losing about a tenth of a second. “There was a bit of a headwind on the straight which cost me a tenth,” he explained.
Verstappen, the Dutch favorite, qualified third, more than a quarter of a second off the pace of Piastri. “This weekend has been quite tough for us so far, but these qualifying sessions are the best moment we’ve had,” he commented, acknowledging the challenge but remaining hopeful for the race.
Isack Hadjar, the rising 20-year-old Racing Bulls driver, delivered his best-ever qualifying result in F1 with fourth place. “I didn’t expect to reach Q3 after yesterday’s performance wasn’t extraordinary, but I found a very fast lap at the crucial moment,” Hadjar said. He added that his objective is to hold this position on Sunday and collect good points.
Rounding out the top seven were George Russell in fifth with Mercedes, Charles Leclerc in sixth, and Lewis Hamilton in seventh. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon stood further back in 14th and 18th respectively on the starting grid.
Zandvoort’s tight, dune-fringed layout makes overtaking tricky, so starting position could play a pivotal role in Sunday’s race, scheduled for 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT).
In the championship picture, Piastri leads Norris by nine points as they head into the race. Verstappen sits a long way back in third, trailing by nearly a full race, while McLaren enjoy a commanding lead in the constructors’ standings, with Ferrari a distant second and Mercedes third, the latter about 24 points behind Ferrari.
Piastri will look to convert pole into a maiden win at Zandvoort, with Norris and Verstappen aiming to close the gap and Hadjar aiming to continue his impressive breakout form. The Dutch crowd will hope for a competitive shot at the podium, while McLaren eyes another strong result to reinforce their early-season momentum.