Dutch Grand Prix qualifying results: Lewis Hamilton nightmare as Lando Norris on front row
Lewis Hamilton was dumped out in Q2 as Max Verstappen grabbed pole position at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton suffered a disappointing early exit in qualifying before Max Verstappen edged out Lando Norris to grab pole position for this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix. The Brit was unable to make it through Q2 in spite of his best efforts and will start Sunday's race from all the way down in 13th on the grid.
A wet-dry session at Zandvoort provided no shortage of drama, with Hamilton's surprise elimination preceding a lengthy red flag period in Q3. Logan Sargeant, who was taking part in his maiden top-10 shootout, crashed into the barriers after dipping a tyre onto the slippery apex at Turn Two.
The red flags came back out again just moments later when Charles Leclerc failed to avoid a brush with the wall after going far too deep into the corner at Turn Nine. Verstappen went on to clinch pole position with a lap time of 1:10.567 once the action got back underway, with Norris coming home in second place ahead of George Russell in third.
Follow Express Sport's live qualifying updates below...
KEY EVENTS
- Qualifying results15:33
- VERSTAPPEN GRABS POLE!15:26
- Red flag15:16
- Red flag14:52
- End of Q214:42
- End of Q114:20
- Verstappen into the gravel14:05
Goodbye
That's all we've got time for today.
Thanks for joining us to follow an eventful qualifying session at Zandvoort ahead of tomorrow's Dutch Grand Prix.
We'll be back tomorrow for race day, with the five red lights set to go out at 2pm.
Catch you then!
Qualifying results
Here's a look at the full results from today's qualifying session at Zandvoort...
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION
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Verstappen makes it a hat-trick of poles at his home race \ud83d\udcaa
Superb effort from Alex Albon who finishes P4 \ud83d\udc4f#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ofnrIGv4yJ
VERSTAPPEN GRABS POLE!
Max Verstappen goes quickest to pip Lando Norris to pole position right at the death!
Just half a second is the gap between the pair, who will share the front row at the start of tomorrow's Dutch Grand Prix.
George Russell, meanwhile, squeezes ahead of Alex Albon to claim third place in dramatic fashion.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TAKES POLE AT ZANDVOORT!!! \ud83e\udd47
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Lando Norris joins the Dutchman on the front row, George Russell will start third \ud83d\udc4f#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/RTAVjJgkaI
Underway again
There are just four minutes left until the end of Q3, with Lando Norris on provisional pole as things stand.
Will the Brit be able to hold off the likes of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri? Only time will tell...
Red flag
Charles Leclerc grinds to a halt at the outside of Turn Nine and the red flags are waving once again!
The Ferrari man was unable to avoid a brush with the barriers after going far too deep into the corner.
Lando Norris now finds himself at the top of the standings ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Max Verstappen is only third, with George Russell just behind the Dutchman in fourth.
\ud83d\udd34 (Another) RED FLAG \ud83d\udd34
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Leclerc has hit the barriers and parked up at the side of the track #DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/HtLtqif1QI
Back underway
We're finally back underway at Zandvoort, with just eight minutes remaining until the end of the session.
All nine drivers on track are running on soft tyres.
Session delayed
It has been confirmed that there will be a slight delay before Q3 resumes, with the marshals working hard to repair the barriers at Turn Two.
We're still waiting for the resumption of Q3 as the barriers continue to be repaired#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/qq7GGeQAxJ
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Hamilton speaks on early exit
"I did two fast laps in the end and the tyres overheated, so I couldn't improve on the last lap," says Lewis Hamilton after his shock Q2 elimination.
"Hopefully, when the car is heavier maybe we can progress forward in the race. It's not an easy track to move forward on, but tomorrow's a new day and I will give it my best tomorrow."
Current order
Only four drivers managed to set lap times before the red flags were brought out by Logan Sargeant's crash.
The Williams driver was one of them and is currently in second, just behind Alex Albon on provisional pole.
Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, is third with George Russell in fourth.
Red flag
Logan Sargeant is in the barriers at Turn Two and the red flags are out.
The American driver has confirmed that he is okay but will take no further part in this session.
Replays show that he lost the rear end at the apex of the corner, which sent him spinning out of control.
\ud83d\udd34 RED FLAG \ud83d\udd34
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Oh no, Logan!
Sargeant's first Q3 didn't last long as he hits the barriers at Turn 2#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/sEqrfoH1KB
Most drivers on slicks
All drivers apart from Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez are running dry tyres for the first time in this session.
Will the gamble pay off?
Q3 gets underway
The 10 remaining drivers emerge from the pits as the final session gets underway, with the rain still holding off for now.
Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Alex Albon, Logan Sargeant and Sergio Perez are the last ones standing.
Who will manage to claim pole position at Zandvoort? We'll find out in just under 12 minutes' time...
End of Q2
Max Verstappen manages to squeeze ahead of Oscar Piastri and into top spot before the chequered flag drops in Q2.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is out of qualifying and will start tomorrow's race from 13th on the grid!
He lacked pace in his final run and joins Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg in being knocked out.
\u274c ELIMINATED IN Q2 \u274c
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Stroll
Gasly
Hamilton \ud83d\ude2e
Tsunoda
Hulkenberg#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kuA3J8e6kD
Albon goes fastest
Alex Albon crosses the line to move into first place with a lap time of 1:19.399.
George Russell is currently up in second, two-tenths adrift of Albon, with Max Verstappen in third.
Two minutes to go...
Two minutes to go in Q2
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Alex Albon is still setting the pace! \ud83d\udd25#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/F5RO3bcLx1
Bottom five drivers
There are just over four minutes left in Q2 and the drivers at risk are as follows...
11. Sergio Perez
12. Yuki Tsunoda
13. Nico Hulkenberg
14. Pierre Gasly
15. Carlos Sainz
Norris on top
Lando Norris is currently fastest with a lap time of 1:20.629.
Max Verstappen is just behind the McLaren driver in second, with Alex Albon in third and Oscar Piastri fourth.
Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, is in the bottom five and will be looking to improve in order to avoid a shock Q2 exit.
Q2 begins
The remaining 15 drivers are making their way out on track for Q2, with five more set to be eliminated before the final session of the day.
The stewards have decided that no further action will be taken regarding Fernando Alonso despite the Spaniard appearing to block Lewis Hamilton in Q1.
Leclerc unhappy with Ferrari
"Come on now, let's be on it," says Charles Leclerc via team radio on his way back to the pits.
"The traffic is the most important. Tyre warm-up, everything, this is important. This is the only priority we have.
"Let's focus on that and everything will be fine, otherwise we will be out in Q2. We are lucky already to be in."
Meanwhile, both Aston Martin drivers are under investigation by the stewards for impeding Lewis Hamilton in two separate incidents.
Carlos Sainz may also receive a penalty after forcing Oscar Piastri off the circuit at Turn Two.
End of Q1
Alex Albon finishes Q1 as the fastest driver on track with an impressive lap time of 1:20.939.
Max Verstappen comes home in second, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in third and fourth respectively.
Lewis Hamilton manages to improve his lap time to avoid being knocked out, as does Charles Leclerc.
Zhou Guanyu, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas and debutant Liam Lawson are eliminated.
Q1 CLASSIFICATION@alex_albon is top of the shop \ud83e\udd29#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/1EzvJ4eyax
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Drivers at risk
The bottom five drivers as things stand are as follows...
16. Carlos Sainz
17. Esteban Ocon
18. Lewis Hamilton
19. Nico Hulkenberg
20. Liam Lawson
Could we see a few shock exits at the end of Q1?
Verstappen goes quickest
Max Verstappen has been struggling but is still the quickest driver on track ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, is blocked by a slow-moving Lance Stroll at the final corner.
Piastri is also forced to take evasive action to prevent a collision with Carlos Sainz at Turn Two.
Four minutes left in Q1...
McLaren setting early pace
The lap times are tumbling as the circuit dries up, with Oscar Piastri currently leading Lando Norris at the top of the standings.
Nobody has gambled with slicks yet but they might not be far off...
Verstappen into the gravel
Max Verstappen takes a detour into the gravel after doing almost the exact same thing in practice yesterday.
He quickly manages to get back on track but is not happy with the grip levels and is making his feelings known via team radio.
"Mate, what the f*** is going on with the car? I have no grip. I'm spinning everything everywhere," he says.
Conditions are very tricky \ud83d\ude2e
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Even Max Verstappen is struggling, running over the gravel at Turn 1 #DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5z0UXRQzXA
Here we go!
Qualifying is now underway and the drivers are beginning to emerge from the pit lane for the start of Q1.
Getting the last lap in at the right time will be crucial, with the track already drying as the sun peeks out from the clouds.
Everybody is on intermediates but it would not be a surprise to see some gamble on slicks as the conditions improve.
Ricciardo may target Singapore return
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has suggested that Daniel Ricciardo could return for AlphaTauri at the Singapore Grand Prix in September, which would see him miss next weekend's race at Monza.
"I'm sure at the back of his mind he's got Singapore as a target," said Horner.
"But then again, Singapore is probably one of the toughest circuits on the calendar, so nature will take its course."
Rain stops for now
There is still plenty of standing water across the track at Zandvoort but the rain has finally stopped falling.
Many fans in the stands are taking off their emergency ponchos after being soaked all morning.
The likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren will be hoping for the conditions to give them a fighting chance of beating Red Bull today.
However, Max Verstappen remains the overwhelming favourite to claim pole position.
First outing for Lawson
Liam Lawson is making his F1 debut this weekend after Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand in practice on Friday.
The Red Bull junior caused a red flag in FP3 this morning with a spin in the wet conditions, although he quickly managed to rejoin the session.
He will have high hopes of showing what he is capable of in qualifying and has been wished well by Ricciardo, who will be forced to watch from the sidelines this weekend.
"t’s a chance for Liam to have a go, and I wish him and the team a strong weekend," said the Aussie.
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to Express Sport's live coverage of qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix at a rain-soaked Zandvoort circuit.
The wet weather has been causing chaos all morning, with several drivers slipping in FP3 earlier today before the Formula Two sprint race was brought to a premature end.
It remains to be seen if the rain will shake up today's qualifying order as Max Verstappen goes for pole at his home race, while the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris will be hoping to spoil the Dutchman's party.
We're just half an hour away from the start of the session and will be keeping you updated with the action as it happens...
When you wake up and realise.....
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\ud83d\ude4c IT'S QUALI DAY!!!! \ud83d\ude4c#DutchGP #F1 @LandoNorris pic.twitter.com/Rp3KUsJ4AS