Qualifying Report - Piastri beats Norris to pole by 0.012s

Oscar Piastri, Dutch GP 2025
© McLaren

Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, edging McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by just 0.012s in a closely fought qualifying at Zandvoort.

After a weekend in which Norris had largely looked the quicker of the two, Piastri delivered when it mattered most. His 1m08.662s on the first Q3 run proved enough for a fifth pole of the season, as Norris recorded 1m08.674s and could not find further gains on his final attempt.

Max Verstappen, backed by an enthusiastic home crowd, was unable to match McLaren’s pace. He initially sat four tenths off the top but improved with a strong middle sector on his last lap, ending up third on 1m08.925s. Isack Hadjar impressed again for Racing Bulls, producing a 1m09.208s to line up fourth, ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes on 1m09.255s.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were evenly matched through the session. Hamilton had the early edge by just 0.010s, but Leclerc improved to 1m09.340s on his final lap to claim sixth, leaving Hamilton seventh on 1m09.390s. Liam Lawson backed his Racing Bulls team-mate with eighth on 1m09.500s, Williams driver Carlos Sainz followed closely at 1m09.505s, while Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for Aston Martin with 1m09.630s.

Q2 was equally competitive, with Norris topping the times on 1m08.874s, less than a tenth clear of Piastri. Verstappen sat third once again. Alonso rescued his session by finding 0.005s on fresh soft tyres to reach Q3, joined by both Racing Bulls drivers. The casualties included Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who missed out by 0.019s, Tsunoda, Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon, who was frustrated by Williams’ tyre preparation.

In Q1, Piastri gave the first indication of McLaren’s edge by setting the benchmark ahead of Norris. Russell squeezed ahead of Verstappen for third, both around three tenths adrift. Bortoleto continued his strong rookie campaign by out-qualifying Nico Hulkenberg, who ended up 17th, ahead of Haas pair Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll suffered another incident at Turn 13, his second of the weekend, and failed to log a time.

The result hands McLaren yet another front-row lock-out, with Piastri and Norris separated by the smallest margin of the year. Verstappen starts third for Red Bull, but the home favourite faces a tough challenge to disrupt McLaren’s dominance in Sunday’s race.