Russell took pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race; Piastri finished fourth
British Mercedes driver George Russell secured pole position in qualifying for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix sprint race at Zandvoort. Australian Oscar Piastri of McLaren will start from fourth position on Saturday.
Russell edged out McLaren driver Lando Norris by 0.041 seconds. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished third, another 0.014 seconds behind Norris.
After setting the fastest lap, Russell joked over team radio that he feels lighter now that he’s no longer wearing his engagement ring. Two weeks earlier, he had announced his engagement to his partner, Carmen Montero Mundt.
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Kimi Antonelli in a Mercedes finished fifth. He said that after driving through the gravel trap in the first part of the session, the car sustained damage: several holes appeared in the underbody. Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari qualified seventh.
For Russell, pole position was an important result after a difficult end to the first half of the season. His last victory came at the Austrian Grand Prix in June, and his race in Hungary last month was marred by a moment when his car nearly stalled. The driver also said he tried not to overthink things and to regain his confidence.
Antonelli set the fastest time in the only practice session. After the rain, the track was drying out, so the teams initially went out on intermediate tires, but the surface quickly became dry. The Sprint qualifying took place on a dry track.
