2026 F1 Round 12, Dutch Grand Prix qualifying: Norris takes pole with late surge, Russell and Antonelli second and third

Qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, Round 12 of the 2026 F1 season, took place at Zandvoort late on August 22, China Standard Time (UTC+8), with Lando Norris (McLaren) taking his second pole position of the season. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) showed impressive form but ultimately finished 12th, matching his Sprint Qualifying result.

Rain had been forecast for the closing stages of qualifying, and it duly began falling on parts of the circuit during the final Q3 runs. Even so, the drivers continued to improve their times in a closely fought battle: Norris beat Sprint Qualifying polesitter George Russell (Mercedes) by 0.102 seconds.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was third, with Oscar Piastri (McLaren) fourth—the top four covered by just 0.142 seconds.

Grid position is hugely important at Zandvoort. Since the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar in 2021, every winner has started from pole, giving Norris an early advantage over his rivals ahead of Sunday’s race.

Tsunoda showed his pace from his very first Q1 run. Despite this being only his second day driving the new-generation car, he beat his benchmark teammate Arvid Lindblad by 0.333 seconds, raising hopes among the home crowd.

Lindblad moved ahead by 0.008 seconds on the subsequent runs; Tsunoda closed the gap to 0.011 seconds on his final run and advanced to Q2 in eighth place.

On his first Q2 run, he was 0.181 seconds adrift and dropped into the elimination zone. Heading into his final run just 0.068 seconds off the Q3 cutoff, he improved his personal best but remained 0.102 seconds behind Lindblad, who advanced to Q3 in 10th. Tsunoda ended the session in 12th, immediately behind Pierre Gasly (Alpine).

Ferrari locked out the third row, with Lewis Hamilton beating Charles Leclerc by 0.064 seconds to secure fifth on the grid.

The fourth row belonged entirely to Red Bull. Racing on home soil, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) could manage only seventh.

Lawson (Red Bull), standing in for Isack Hadjar, reached Q3 for the first time with Red Bull and finished eighth, 0.115 seconds behind the four-time world champion.

Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) was ninth, with Lindblad 10th.

Behind Tsunoda came Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) in 13th, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) in 14th, Esteban Ocon (Haas) in 15th and Alexander Albon (Williams) in 16th.

Both Aston Martin-Honda cars were eliminated in Q1 once again, following their double exit in the opening segment of the previous day’s Sprint Qualifying. Fernando Alonso finished 18th, missing the Q2 cutoff by 0.098 seconds, while Lance Stroll ended up 19th.

At Williams, Albon made it through to Q2, but Carlos Sainz was eliminated in Q1 by 0.022 seconds and finished 17th. Oliver Bearman (Haas) was 20th.

The two Cadillacs occupied the back row: Valtteri Bottas was 21st and Sergio Pérez 22nd.

The formation lap for the Grand Prix will begin on the evening of August 23, China Standard Time (UTC+8), with the drivers set to battle for victory over 72 laps of the 4,259-metre Zandvoort circuit.