Max to start sprintrace in Zandvoort on P6: 'Tricky to find grip'

Published on 21 August 2026 by Florence Cobben

Max Verstappen has qualified sixth for the Dutch Grand Prix’s sprint race on Saturday. It was George Russell, driving for Mercedes, who claimed pole position on the beloved Zandvoort circuit. Lando Norris followed close behind in P2, with Charles Leclerc on P3. Oscar Piastri and Kimi Antonelli completed the top five. Liam Lawson, stepping in for Max’s teammate Isack Hadjar, qualified eleventh.

“(It) was just a bit tricky to find the grip, the balance”, Max shares after finishing sprint qualifying. “I mean, it was already a step forward from FP1, but of course, (we're) still lacking a little bit to get to be a little bit further up the road.”

Max further explains: “It's something that we need to understand, I guess, now - what we can do with the balance for tomorrow to find a bit more grip, really. A bit of balance, bit of grip to close the gap a bit."

At the start of SQ1, it’s dry, sunny, and nineteen degrees. As the lights for SQ1 at the start of the grid turn green, Kimi Antonelli leads the Mercedes cars onto the track. Both drivers drive two warm up rounds before starting their flying laps. After two initial purple sectors, Antonelli loses control of the car into turn three and ends up stranded in the gravel pit. Instead, it is Russell who claims fastest time, before Leclerc, Hamilton and Norris trade fastest laps in quick succession, each improving on the other’s benchmark. Max settles for fifth and loses position as SQ1 continues on, ending in P9.

As the flag falls, it’s curtains for both Aston Martins, both Cadillacs, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman. Leclerc, Norris and Piastri are the session's top three. Max manages to put in a quicker lap, and eventually ends in P7.

Norris, Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Piastri and Alex Albon are the first out on track in SQ2. Piastri, Leclerc and Russell form the top three in the closing phases of SQ2, with Max on P8. The flag drops and the early-exit club welcomes six new members: Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, Franco Colapinto, Hülkenberg, Ocon and Albon.

At the start of SQ3, as opposed to the preceding sessions which were driven on the soft tyres, Norris heads the charge, leaving the pits before Antonelli and Russell. The drivers jockey for pole, and as the dust settles, it’s Russell who has P1 in hand, ahead of Norris and Leclerc on P2 and P3. Piastri is fourth, ahead of Antonelli in P5 and Max in P6. That concludes the first day of action at Zandvoort.

Scale-model replicas of the special Delft Blue 2026 Dutch GP helmet are available via Verstappen.com.

Results sprint qualifying Netherlands: