Racing champion Piastri clinches pole position while Lawson lines up eighth for the Dutch Grand Prix race start
In the thrilling qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri clinched the pole position, marking his fifth of the season. The Australian driver secured the top spot by a margin of just over one-hundredth of a second, edging out Lando Norris who ended qualifying in second place, .012 of a second behind Piastri.
Piastri's impressive performance comes after a three-month hiatus from pole position, and it's clear that he's in top form. His teammate, George Russell, qualified fifth for Mercedes, while Kimi Antonelli found himself in 11th position, facing another challenging race after only being in the points in two of his last eight races.
Meanwhile, Liam Lawson, aiming for another points-scoring finish, will start the Dutch Grand Prix in the eighth position on the grid. Lawson expressed frustration about being outqualified by his teammate Isack Hadjar, who achieved a career-best fourth place in qualifying for Racing Bulls. Hadjar is considered a contender for promotion to Red Bull next season as Verstappen's teammate.
Unfortunately, Lance Stroll's qualifying session was cut short after he spun and crashed heavily, qualifying last. Stroll returned to the pits with a damaged Aston Martin and was unable to continue, dealing a significant blow to his hopes for a strong finish at his home race.
Charles Leclerc out-qualified his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, who ended up seventh. Hamilton, currently fourth in the standings, has a 97-point gap to leader Oscar Piastri, making his title chances remote. Verstappen, who is currently third in the standings, expressed pleasure with the improvement after a "tricky" time in practice for his home race. He will start the Dutch Grand Prix in the third position on the grid.
Yuki Tsunoda qualified 12th, which doesn't help his efforts to show he can stay on for next season at Red Bull. Norris suggested small changes in the wind could have affected the qualifying results. With the Dutch Grand Prix set to take place on Sunday, all eyes will be on Piastri and the rest of the field as they battle it out for the top spot.
