Author Archives: PressBox

George Russell took sprint pole for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, edging McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.041 seconds in a tightly packed session that left the top four within a tenth of a second. Russell’s 1:11.567 lap gave Mercedes its first pole after the summer break and set him up to lead Saturday’s 24-lap sprint from the front. Russell said the lap came together well after a difficult first half of the season, while Norris said he was disappointed to miss out after struggling to extract the most from the soft tires in SQ3.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third, 0.055 seconds off pole, and Oscar Piastri took fourth after improving through the session. Kimi Antonelli placed fifth after a gravel excursion in SQ1 left his Mercedes with floor damage and a loss of about 20 to 25 points of downforce, though the team repaired the car enough for him to keep going. Max Verstappen lined up sixth at his home race, with Lewis Hamilton seventh and Pierre Gasly eighth.

The session took place in changing conditions after a damp practice hour, and several drivers described balance and setup problems. Hamilton said his Ferrari felt completely different after setup changes and that the team needed to review the data, while Leclerc called his lap his best qualifying effort of the year so far. Verstappen said Red Bull still lacked grip and balance, and Aston Martin struggled badly as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were both eliminated in SQ1 after drivability and rear-wing straight-line mode problems.

Kimi Antonelli topped the only practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, setting a 1:12.949 for Mercedes in a damp-to-drying session that began on intermediates before teams switched to slicks. Lando Norris was second, 0.121 seconds back, and George Russell was third, with Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri rounding out a tightly packed top six. Less than three-tenths of a second separated the top five, and Antonelli recovered after a spin at Turn 10 that caused no damage.

Red Bull had a more difficult opening day. Max Verstappen finished 11th in practice after reporting oversteer, low grip, poor gearshifts and a gravel excursion, while Liam Lawson was 14th in his return to the senior team and Yuki Tsunoda finished 17th with Racing Bulls. Carlos Sainz ended the session last after repeated gravel trips and floor damage, and Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly all ran inside the top eight as the track evolved. The weekend was being run in sprint format, so the practice session was the only one before sprint qualifying later Friday.

In F1 Academy at Zandvoort, Alisha Palmowski took pole position with a 1:40.911 in another wet-to-dry qualifying session. Alba Larsen qualified second, Natalia Granada was third for her best qualifying result, and Zoe Florescu finished seventh on her qualifying debut as a Wild Card entry. Florescu said changing conditions made tire management difficult, but she said Hitech made the right call on strategy and she will start from the front row for the Reverse Grid Race.

Fernando Alonso said he has not decided on his Formula 1 future and has no timeline for doing so, as talks over his next move with Aston Martin continue. The two-time champion said he plans to speak with team owner Lawrence Stroll and executive technical director Adrian Newey in the coming weeks, possibly around the Monza weekend or during factory visits for simulator work, and he said his immediate focus is the Zandvoort race weekend.

Alonso’s contract with Aston Martin expires after the 2026 season, and he said he wants to stay involved with the team long term, either as a driver or in another role. If he stops driving in Formula 1, he said he would not rule out other racing challenges such as the Indianapolis 500 or Dakar, and he also left open the possibility of another run at a third world title. He said he still needs competition and adrenaline, but he has not spent much of the summer break focused on the decision.

Alonso said Aston Martin’s performance will not determine his choice, and he played down the importance of the team’s upgrades and Honda’s new power unit. He said the Honda unit matters more as a test of Aston Martin’s development direction, while the team’s 2026 season has not started as hoped. Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack said discussions about Alonso’s future have been going on for months, that the team had expected a decision around the summer, and that Alonso remains its priority choice.