McLaren secures pole position at Dutch Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri leading the charge in a dominant display.
In the heart of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Oscar Piastri clinched the coveted pole position, marking his fifth pole of the season. The McLaren driver edged out teammate Lando Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds, securing a strong starting position for Sunday's race.
Piastri's pole position comes after his previous Formula 1 World Championship race win at the Belgian Grand Prix earlier in the 2025 season. Meanwhile, his rival, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, struggled in practice sessions for Ferrari, regularly being over a second-and-a-half adrift. Hamilton's qualifying performance was also lacklustre, with the British driver finishing in seventh place.
Max Verstappen, currently 97 points behind Piastri in the world championship standings, qualified in third position. The Red Bull driver admitted that his car is off the pace this season, but his main aim on Sunday is to stay at the head of the pack chasing the McLarens. Verstappen's teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, failed to make it to the top-10 shootout, finishing 12th.
Rookie driver Isack Hadjar scored an impressive fourth place on the grid for Racing Bulls, while George Russell qualified ahead of Hadjar, securing fifth place for Mercedes. Kimi Antonelli missed out on the top-10 shootout for Mercedes, with teammate Hamilton.
The qualifying session was marred by an early crash from Lance Stroll, damaging his Aston Martin beyond repair. Gabriel Bortoleto, the Sauber rookie, managed to finish 13th in the second phase of qualifying.
Piastri aims to extend his nine-point championship lead over Norris in the upcoming race. The Dutch Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race, with Piastri starting from the pole position and Norris from second place on the grid. The battle for the championship is heating up, and Sunday's race could be a thrilling one.
