Max Verstappen returns home to the Netherlands for the Dutch Grand Prix and it could prove a historic homecoming for the double world champion.
Verstappen will be shooting for history on Sunday night as he looks to claim his ninth-straight F1 win, equalling the record set by Sebastian Vettel back in 2013.
The Red Bull driver took a big step towards doing just that on Saturday night, claiming pole position with McLaren’s Lando Norris to start alongside him in the front of the grid.
That was one of several surprises ahead of Sunday’s race, headlined by Williams duo Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant finishing inside the top 10 while Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez finished 1.3 seconds behind him and back in seventh on the grid.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff admitted he “cannot comprehend” the big gap between the pair, describing it as “bizarre” and “odd”.
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Piastri opens up on F1 learning curve | 00:56
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner though told Sky Sports it may be a simple case of Verstappen being that far ahead of everyone on the grid.
“It’s the same for everybody – you’ve just got to go out there and feel the grip and put a lap in, and for whatever reason he hasn’t quite had the confidence that certainly Max has,” he said.
“I don’t think anybody has had the confidence that Max has.
“So a harder session for him [Perez] but there’s others around him that have struggled. I didn’t expect Oscar [Piastri], for example, to be behind him.”
Speaking of Piastri, an underwhelming final run left him in eighth despite a strong opening that initially had the Australian second quickest behind Verstappen.
Piastri said after qualifying that he was “pretty pissed off” with the result, adding it was just another reflection of how far McLaren has come and how high expectations are.
“Eighth in qualifying, a bit of a disappointing end to what was otherwise a good session,” Piastri said to the Formula 1’s official website.
“It’s a shame to be a bit further back than I’d like, I just think I paid a little bit for not getting the laps in yesterday’s practice sessions, especially when it dried-up today.
“The car had good pace and felt good which is pleasing so we’ll see what we can do tomorrow and hopefully score some decent points to start the second half of the year.”
Ricciardo BREAKS HAND in crash at P2 | 01:16
Fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo will not be driving on Sunday after breaking his hand in Friday’s practice, handing an opportunity to young Kiwi Liam Lawson.
AlphaTauri’s newest driver will start from the back of the grid and described the qualifying session as “hectic”.
“Firstly, I feel for Daniel in this situation, and it’s not something you want to see, especially to someone as nice as him, and I hope he recovers quickly,” Lawson said, speaking to the Formula 1’s official website.
“Any chance you get to race in Formula 1, you will grab with both hands, so I’m very excited about the opportunity I have been given. There are lots of emotions because it’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was three years old.
“Today has been very hectic, with very tricky conditions. It was my first time driving on the intermediate tyres during the first session, and it was different to what I expected, but I felt like I was getting somewhere and learning how the tyres behaved.
“During qualifying, I was feeling comfortable and like I was gaining a lot, but then it rained again, and I expected the grip to drop, but I was surprised by how high it stayed, so for sure, I didn’t maximise everything. I feel comfortable in the car, but with these conditions, it’s tricky to learn this track in the car.”
DUTCH GRAND PRIX GRID
Front row: Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes)
2nd row: George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) Alex Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes)
3rd row: Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin-Mercedes) Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari)
4th row: Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes)
5th row: Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) Logan Sargeant (USA/Williams-Mercedes)
6th row: Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine-Renault)
7th row: Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Haas-Ferrari)
8th row: Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault)
9th row: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari)
10th row: Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) Liam Lawson (NZL/AlphaTauri-Red Bull)
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