Russell secures pole for Dutch GP sprint race

George Russell of Mercedes took his first pole position in four races during the qualifying for the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort on August 21, 2026. Russell was 0.041 seconds faster than McLaren's Lando Norris, who qualified second. Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, leading the championship by 59 points, managed only fifth place, behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and McLaren's Oscar Piastri. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was sixth, while Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was positioned seventh, 50 points behind Antonelli in the standings.

Russell described the pole as a perfect start to the second half of the season, especially after losing pace to Antonelli in the previous three races leading up to the summer break following his win in Austria in late June. “It has been a tough end to the first part of the year, so I am really happy to be back,” Russell said, noting that the lap felt good despite the challenging nature of sprint qualifying. He added, "It all came together nicely."

With the shorter sprint race set for Saturday, Russell was positioned well to cut into Antonelli's points lead. He expressed satisfaction at being at the top of the timesheets once again after a lengthy gap. “I can't even remember the last time,” he admitted, emphasizing the importance of not overthinking the race ahead.

Norris, who won the last race before the summer break, believed he could have secured pole if he maximized the performance of the soft tires during the final runs of the session. "Really happy," Norris said, acknowledging the close competition among the teams. Leclerc, just 0.055 seconds off pole, termed his lap "the best qualifying lap of the year."

Hamilton, meanwhile, was disappointed with his qualifying session, noting adjustments made to his car resulted in an unexpected performance shift. Antonelli faced issues, including going off into the gravel during the first session, which affected his chances for a better position.

In the wider field, Pierre Gasly from Alpine claimed eighth place, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi and Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad. Liam Lawson, substituting for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, finished 11th on his first outing in the Red Bull car.

Aston Martin faced challenges, particularly with Alonso's car having issues with the engine's driveability and a malfunctioning straight-line mode that impacted his performance, resulting in a last-place start. His teammate Lance Stroll qualified 19th.