Sports
Lando Norris takes commanding Dutch GP pole with Lewis Hamilton only 12th
Lando Norris reminded Max Verstappen of his world championship credentials by taking a brilliant pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix. The British driver, who trails Verstappen by 78 points in the standings with 10 rounds still to go, saw off his rival by 0.356sec to silence the 100,000 spectators hoping to see the Dutchman start the Zandvoort race from the front.
Verstappen, without a win from his last four appearances, will start alongside Norris on the front row. Oscar Piastri took third, half a second down on McLaren team-mate Norris. Mercedes’ George Russell finished fourth as Lewis Hamilton endured an afternoon to forget after he failed to make it out of Q2. He will line up from 12th for Sunday’s 72-lap race but faces an investigation by the stewards for blocking Sergio Perez.
Norris might have been much closer to Verstappen in the title race but for a catalogue of mistakes by driver and team. However, the 24-year-old brought his A-game to qualifying with a scintillating final effort to provide himself with the best shot of kicking off the second half of the season with just the second win of his career.
Verstappen temporarily bumped Norris off the summit to huge cheers, only for Norris to knock the home favourite, who had taken three poles and three wins since the sport returned to the Netherlands in 2021, off his perch. Hamilton headed into the summer break with his second win of the campaign after Russell was disqualified in Belgium.
But the seven-time world champion was no match for Russell here after qualifying four-tenths behind his team-mate to leave him way down the order for Sunday’s race. “Okay, Lewis, I am afraid, mate, that is P12 so we have been bumped,” said Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington. “Just four-and-a-half tenths to P1 so very tight in that mid-pack.”
It marked the second successive year that Hamilton has been eliminated in Q2 in Zandvoort, and the first time since China – a streak of 10 races – that he has failed to make the concluding part of qualifying. Hamilton is also under investigation for impeding Sergio Perez.
American driver Logan Sargeant watched from the sidelines after he was involved in a heavy crash in final practice which saw him jump out of his burning Williams. Sargeant lost control of his car through the banked third corner in the wet conditions as he bounced off the barrier and back on to the track.
The 23-year-old suffered extensive damage to his car, as his right-rear tyre came loose and bounced along the asphalt, before it suddenly caught fire. Sargeant emerged from his wrecked machine before slumping over the barriers. He was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks but Williams were unable to repair his car in time.
PA Sport
Norris blitzes the field to take Dutch GP pole – as it happened
03:38 PM BST
Hamilton reflects on a difficult session
“It all went badly from when the situation with Perez happened” 📉
Lewis reflects on being knocked out in Zandvoort Q2 for a second year running ❌ pic.twitter.com/NYYIODIkhC
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 24, 2024
03:28 PM BST
Watch: Lando Norris’s pole lap
03:12 PM BST
Things could get worse for Hamilton
Hamilton summoned to the stewards at 17:00 local time (so in just under an hour) for alleged impeding of Perez in Q1 #F1 #DutchGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) August 24, 2024
03:10 PM BST
Norris hasn’t always made the most of pole in 2024
Just one win from three poles and a few other good positions feels like a bit of a poor return.
03:09 PM BST
Pole man Norris speaks
An amazing day. Nice to be back and start with a pole. The qualifying was always pretty smooth and put in some nice laps. Great job by the team and very happy today. It’s harder than it looks. It’s tricky; it’s not easy out there. I felt comfortable out there, the car was feeling amazing – we’ve got some upgrades on the car for the first time in a while. I’m excited for tomorrow, I’m sure it’s going to be tough. Max has been quick all weekend and he’s going to be putting up a good fight, especially at his home race.
03:07 PM BST
Q3 – Classification
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NOR 1:09.673
-
VER +0.356
-
PIA +0.499
-
RUS +0.571
-
PER +0.743
-
LEC +0.909
-
ALO +0.960
-
ALB +0.980
-
STR +1.184
-
GAS +1.304
03:07 PM BST
Oscar Piastri speaks after his third place
Just didn’t do a good enough job really… the second half [of the lap] wasn’t quite what I needed. A little disappointing not to be a little higher up but we can get some decent points and hopefully some trophies tomorrow.
03:05 PM BST
Verstappen reacts to a front-row start
We just lacked a bit of pace. I tried the best I could, I’m still very happy to be on the front row. It’s very tricky with the wind. I think after yesterday as well this is a good result. Hopefully the car is OK tomorrow in the race.
03:03 PM BST
LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE FOR THE 2024 DUTCH GRAND PRIX
Piastri doesn’t improve from third. It will be Lando Norris and Max Verstappen on the front row. Russell puts in a good lap to go fourth for Mercedes, with Sergio Perez in fifth.
It’s a commanding pole for Norris, 0.356sec ahead of Verstappen over a lap that is 70 seconds long. That is, in percentage terms, half a percent. Significant.
03:01 PM BST
Q3 – Verstappen on provisional pole
But how long will that last? Not very long! Norris beats it by 0.356sec. What has Piastri got? He has only just started his lap…
What’s his first sector like? The car doesn’t look hooked up and he’s 0.357sec down after two sectors. He has a chance of the front row but needs a good final sector.
03:00 PM BST
Q3 – Not a great first sector for Verstapen
A tenth or two down. Norris improves in sector one, though. Verstappen massively improves in the middle sector, though, 0.222sec up on Verstappen but Norris is a tenth up on that so it comes down to the final sector!
02:59 PM BST
Q3 – Alonso exapserated
“I cannot do more than this,” he says. After all those podiums last year it is a shame to see the Aston Martin slip back from the front of the pack.
02:58 PM BST
Q3 – Lance Stroll and Alonso onto their first hot laps of the min-session
Stroll crosses the line and goes sixth… not great, 0.783sec off Norris. Alonso is looking a little sharper but not by an enormous amount. The Spaniard crosses the line and goes fifth, 0.559sec off Norris, who has just left the pit lane.
02:54 PM BST
Q3 – Order as it stands
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NOR 1:10.074
-
PIA +0.119
-
VER +0.148
-
RUS +0.436
-
LEC +0.684
-
GAS +1.327
-
STR (NO TIME)
-
PER (NO TIME)
-
ALB (NO TIME)
-
ALO (NO TIME)
02:54 PM BST
Q3 – Russell into fourth
A few tenths slower than Verstappen so it is perhaps safe to assume he will not be challenging for pole position. Leclerc on used softs a full 0.684sec off Norris’s pace.
02:53 PM BST
Q3 – Piastri fastest now
Verstappen cannot beat him, but Norris can! He moves 0.119sec faster than his team-mate. Verstappen just 0.029sec slower than Piastri.
02:52 PM BST
Q3 – Norris and Piastri close after two sectors
Verstappen not far away either…
02:51 PM BST
Q3 – Well done to Alpine and Pierre Gasly
They shouldn’t really be in the position of celebrating Q3 appearances with their resources but that team has been a metaphorical bin fire in the last few years especially.
02:50 PM BST
Q3 begins – 12 minutes remain
McLaren the strong favourites for this, I’d say. You cannot rule out Verstappen as I think he has left a few tenths out there without really nailing any of his laps today.
02:48 PM BST
That was a bit of a turn-up
Alexander Albon does make it through to Q3 which is a good effort from him, out-qualifying a Ferrari and a Mercedes. Verstappen makes it through in P8 but was only a tenth or so from being eliminated but not being sent out again was the right call in the end by Red Bull. Risky, though. James Vowles, Williams team principal calls Albon’s lap a “strong effort”.
02:45 PM BST
Q2 – Classification
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NOR 1:10.496
-
PIA +0.009
-
RUS +0.056
-
STR +0.165
-
PER +0.182
-
LEC +0.193
-
ALB +0.272
-
VER +0.315
-
GAS +0.319
-
ALO +0.349
ELIMINATED: -
SAI +0.418
-
HAM +0.452
-
TSU +0.459
-
HUL +0.719
-
MAG +0.799
02:43 PM BST
Q2 – It was a poor first sector from Hamilton
He was 0.3sec down and never really made that up. That’s disappointing. Russell makes it through with a good lap after looking a bit dodgy in Q1.
02:42 PM BST
Q2 – What can Sainz do?
He is in the drop zone… only ninth. Is that going to be good enough? Stroll goes fourth as he crosses the line. Hamilton needs to improve and he cannot improve enough to get into Q3! He’s 11th at best. Toto Wolff’s face says it all:
Leclerc into sixth with demotes Sainz into 11th and out of qualifying!
02:41 PM BST
Q2 – Final runs under way
Norris leads Piastri as it stands. Perez improves to go fourth, 0.182sec off Norris. Stroll with the fastest first sector of anyone so far as the track continues to ramp up.
Albon into fifth proves that, ahead of Verstappen for now.
02:37 PM BST
Q2 – Order after the first runs
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NOR 1:10.496
-
PIA +0.009
-
RUS +0.056
-
VER +0.315
-
HAM +0.503
-
LEC +0.564
-
STR +0.596
-
PER +0.604
-
ALO +0.641
-
SAI +0.704
DROP ZONE -
MAG +0.799
-
GAS +0.980
-
TSU +1.018
-
HUL +1.115
-
ALB +1.364
02:33 PM BST
Q2 – Verstappen goes third
0.3sec or so off Piastri but Norris then posts a time fast enough to lead the pack, by just 0.009sec over his team-mate. Perez a full 0.604sec off that time when he completes his first flying lap of this session.
02:32 PM BST
Q2 – Piastri with the fastest first sector
And indeed the fastest second sector, more than a second faster than Charles Leclerc. Ferrari not very impressive so far today.
Its a 1:10.505 from Piastri to go faster than Leclerc by 1.160sec. Verstappen and Norris also with decent first sectors, though Verstappen’s middle sector is not so good, losing a tenth or so.
02:29 PM BST
Q2 – The skies have clouded after at the start of Q2
Doesn’t mean rain is imminent, mind you. Leclerc goes fastest early on, 0.170sec ahead of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. Sainz, who will be driving for Williams in 2025, is not too happy with his car.
02:27 PM BST
Q2 begins
Albon makes it through to Q2 which is decent. That has not always been the case this season, when it was more often than not in 2023.
02:25 PM BST
Ocon unhappy
“I don’t know what’s going on but something’s going on in this session. Car’s a disaster from the start of the weekend,”.
Sergio Perez not happy about having to burn a set of soft tyres to go fastest in Q1. He was also still not happy with Hamilton over this incident.
02:22 PM BST
Q1 – Classification
-
PER 1:11.006
-
RUS +0.043
-
SAI +0.321
-
LEC +0.364
-
HAM +0.369
-
NOR +0.371
-
VER +0.387
-
ALO +0.487
-
ALB +0.497
-
STR +0.512
-
PIA +0.535
-
TSU +0.597
-
MAG +0.624
-
GAS +0.712
-
HUL +0.826
All these men have made it through to Q2.
02:20 PM BST
Q1 – Perez goes fastest at the end
He is 0.043sec ahead of Russell. The track improvement was enormous there and that will continue to be the case assuming no further rain.
Ricciardo, Ocon, Bottas, Zhou and Sargeant are eliminated.
02:20 PM BST
Q1 – Verstappen will still be safely through
Sainz only just up on where he needs to be after one sector but plenty of time to be made up later on in the lap.
He does find plenty of time in the final two sectors, going fastest of all. Russell then beats that by nearly three-tenths. Perez now in the drop zone but is improving…
02:18 PM BST
Q1 – Into the final few minutes
Verstappen abandons his hot lap and, like Russell, complains about the amount of sliding. Bottas gets out of the bottom five for now, putting Sainz in the drop zone, though he is improving on his current lap.
02:15 PM BST
Q1 – Drivers in the drop zone
Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Bottas, Zhou and Sargeant, who has yet to leave the garage.
02:14 PM BST
Q1 – Top 10 and gaps
-
HAM 1:11.375
-
NOR +0.002
-
VER +0.018
-
PIA +0.166
-
GAS +0.343
-
STR +0.457
-
HUL +0.457
-
ALB +0.489
-
LEC +0.515
-
RUS +0.529
02:13 PM BST
Q1 – Russell with an average lap
Or even poor. 0.529sec off Hamilton’s leading time and only good enough for 10th. Meanwhile, Hamilton has been noted for impeding Perez.
“What the f— is this idiot doing?!” Perez says. “I was well out of his way,” is what Hamilton says.
02:10 PM BST
Q1 – Verstappen goes third on his first run
0.018sec off Hamilton’s time. Decent.
02:10 PM BST
Q1 – Top six as it stands
-
HAM
-
NOR +0.002
-
PIA +0.166
-
STR +0.457
-
ALB +0.489
-
LEC +0.515
02:08 PM BST
Q1 – Hamilton leads the way
His time of 1:11.375 is just 0.002sec ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren, who looks like he left some time out there. The track evolution, after plenty of rain over the weekend, will be large throughout qualifying.
Max Verstappen leaves the garage for his first run in Q1.
02:07 PM BST
Q1 – Sainz does not post a great lap time
He’s slower than Ocon and Gasly and a host of other people, too. Leclerc is faster but is only fourth. Piastri leads the way from Lance Stroll by just under three tenths.
02:04 PM BST
Q1 – Hulkenberg posts a 1:13.062
Zhou is about six or seven tenths behind that as Carlos Sainz starts his first flying lap.
02:02 PM BST
Q1 – Nico Hulkenberg out there early
As is Valtteri Bottas. Difficult to overstate how poor a season Sauber are having this year. They are the only pointless team.
02:00 PM BST
GREEN LIGHT: Q1 is go!
Who will be the five drivers eliminated? We will find out in 18 minutes’ time.
01:59 PM BST
Could Sargeant even get out for qualifying?
Possibly, judging by these pictures…
01:57 PM BST
We are nearly ready to go
Who will be on pole? The last four races have been Vestappen, Russell, Norris and Leclerc (though Verstappen was fastest at Spa but took a penalty).
01:53 PM BST
Another weather update
#F1 #BBCF1 #DUTCHGP QUALIFYING: With 15 mins to Q1, air temp is 24.3C & the track 30.4C. Wind has shifted to SSW, with gusts to 25mph in the past 15 minutes. Dry; no showers currently in vicinity. Rain will arrive late this afternoon/evening. FIA risk of rain for Q is 40%.
— Ian Fergusson (@fergieweather) August 24, 2024
It is very windy.
01:38 PM BST
Verstappen pretty impatient in FP3
01:32 PM BST
Weather update
It is currently dry at Zandvoort but there is a reasonable (40 per cent-ish) chance of showers in the qualifying hour. That increases as the day goes on but, unless we get a significant stoppage, then the worst of the rain will be after the chequered flag. Tomorrow looks almost certainly dry with sunny spells.
01:30 PM BST
Current constructor standings
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01:25 PM BST
F1 driver standings: Top 10 after 14 rounds
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01:16 PM BST
News from earlier this weekend
Jack Doohan will drive full-time for Alpine’s Formula One team in 2025, replacing Esteban Ocon, who is headed to Haas.
The team made the announcement Friday morning in advance of the Dutch Grand Prix. Contract details were not announced.
Doohan, 21, will pair with Pierre Gasly on the F1 team. He has been with Alpine’s academy since 2022 and is the first academy graduate to be promoted to the team.
Doohan won three times in 2023, finishing third in the F2 championship. The Australian has been a reserve driver for Alpine the past two seasons.
“I am so happy to secure promotion into a full-time race seat in 2025 with BWT Alpine F1 Team,” he said. “I am very grateful for the trust and belief by the team’s senior management.
“There is so much work ahead to be prepared and ready and I will give my best in the meantime to absorb as much information and knowledge to be ready for the step up.”
Oliver Oakes, Alpine’s new team principal, said Alpine will work to develop the team.
“Alongside Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver line-up with a good combination between youthful energy, experience, and pure speed.
“We look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre in order to keep developing the car and bring the team up the grid.”
01:14 PM BST
Times and standings from FP3
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Gasly, Alpine 1:30.311
-
Kevin Magnussen, Haas +0.139
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Valtteri Bottas, Sauber +0.844
-
Lando Norris, McLaren +1.076
-
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +1.150
-
Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1.332
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren +1.539
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1.630
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Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +2.043
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Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +2.278
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Zhou Guanyu, Sauber +2.929
-
Logan Sargeant, Williams +2.976
-
George Russell, Mercedes +3.647
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Alexander Albon, Williams +3.696
-
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes +3.787
-
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +3.847
-
Max Verstappen, Red Bull +4.049
-
Daniel Ricciardo, RB +5.122
-
Yuki Tsunoda, RB (no time set)
-
Sergio Perez, Red Bull (no time set)
Not a great deal of laps on the board for anyone, with Piastri the only man in double figures due the rain and the red flag.
01:09 PM BST
Williams driver Logan Sargeant jumps from burning car in Dutch GP final practice
Logan Sargeant has suffered a difficult F1 season and that poor form continued with a hefty crash in FP3 earlier today. He escaped unhurt bit will not be taking part in qualifying today because his car was a total wreck. Read (and look) on more of that here.
12:53 PM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our coverage for qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix from Zandvoort. It’s the first race after the summer break and at the start of the year the hiatus could not come soon enough as Max Verstappen continued his dominance. The three-time World Champion won four of the first five races (and the other one he did not finish). Yet since Miami he has won just three times and none of the last four races, with his last win coming at the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
Unfortunately during most of this downturn in form for both driver and team he has managed to increase his lead in the drivers’ standings to 78 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc 100 points adrift in third. That means that any realistic hopes of a championship challenge rely on a few DNFs from the Dutchman or Red Bull’s development taking several wrong turns. Both seem unlikely.
Fortunately the outlook is competitive in the constructors’ championship. McLaren, who are chasing their first team’s title since 1998 are just 42 points behind Red Bull with Ferrari a further 21 points away. McLaren have, on balance, the best “package” out there – not just the car but the driver line-up, too. Some strategic, driver and operational errors have cost them points since they leaped to the front in spring, but they are probably favourites to claim that title.
Mercedes have also put themselves back into the winning picture, triumphing in three of the last four races, but had such a terrible start to the season that contending for the constructors’ is a distant dream.
As we return to Zandvoort after the summer break the conditions have been very much autumnal with strong wind and plenty of rain since running began yesterday. There’s a chance of that again during qualifying, which begins at 2pm BST. We will be here for all the updates and latest from it.