Piastri races to pole position in Zandvoort

Oscar Piastri starts the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position.

August 30, 2025

From: dpa/tu

The McLaren driver narrowly beat his teammate Lando Norris in Formula 1 qualifying at Zandvoort with a time of 1:08,652 minutes. The Australian World Championship leader had a lead of 0,012 seconds over his British teammate. Last year's winner, Norris, had been unbeatable in all three practice sessions prior to the first World Championship race after the summer break.

World champion Max Verstappen finished third at his home race. However, with a gap of 0,263 seconds, the Red Bull star had no chance of securing a place on the front row. Rhinelander Nico Hülkenberg only managed 17th place in his Sauber and was surprisingly eliminated in the first qualifying session.

Max Verstappen will start from the second row. © APA/afp / JOHN THYS

With ten races remaining, Piastri leads Norris in the World Championship standings by just nine points. Defending champion Verstappen is already 97 points behind the Australian Piastri. Four-time champion Verstappen won the Grand Prix in his home country three times in a row until 2023, with Norris taking the win in 2024.