Verstappen Leads in Wet Dutch GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen secured pole once again for the Dutch Grand Prix in wet conditions at Zandvoort. Verstappen stated, “Just try to keep on doing the same thing – that would be nice. But, of course, after a break, you never know how you get back into things. Also [with] the track, and the weather that is forecast, I think it’s always a bit more tricky. We’ll see. We have a quick car, but it’s again about putting everything together to have a really strong weekend.”

It’s clear that the summer break only gave Verstappen more time to recoup and he’s come back in full swing. Now that Verstappen has kept his pole position streak alive, Red Bull will be looking to do the same thing in the win column. Red Bull have won every single race this season and have not shown any signs of slowing down. The team will be pushing to extending their streak to 13 wins in a row tomorrow in the grand prix.

Elsewhere on the Grid

After it was announced that both Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen would be returning in 2024 having recently signed new contracts. Qualifying for the pair did not go as planned as both drivers failed to make it to Q3. In unfortunate fashion, 7 time world champion Lewis Hamilton failed to make it into Q3 after getting caught out on rain tires as the track dried rapidly. His pace suffered and he was not able to set a good enough lap to make it into Q3.

At the start of Q3 teams took a gamble between staying on intermediates or switching to the soft compound tires as the track was drying with every passing minute. Logan Sergeant’s (Williams) gamble on slick tires did not pay off with him crashing in turn 2 at high speed. It was confirmed that he was unharmed in the wreck.

Norris Impresses Again

Lando Norris had yet another flying qualifying session finished P2; just 6 tenths behind Verstappen. Norris had the following words, “P2 was a good result in these conditions. Every now and again you hope Max makes a mistake and he doesn’t. Frustrating in a little way but I’m very happy! The team’s done a good job. It was a chaotic qualifying but another P2, so a good start to being back in the car.”

“The first half of the lap was mega, the second half was probably one of the worst second halves of a lap that I’ve done! I’ve always enjoyed these conditions, it’s when we do well. So, I’ll take P2. I think there’s quite a bit of tire degradation here and not our forte when it comes into play: we start to struggle quite a bit in certain corners. But we’ve improved the car quite a bit since Friday, so I want to be a little bit more hopeful. There are opportunities, but it’s going to be tough.” Rounding out the top 3 was George Russell (Mercedes).

Tsunoda Handed a 3 Place Grid Penalty for Impeding, Ferrari Fined

Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) was handed a three place grid penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton during Q2 ultimately costing Hamilton a shot at Q3. The penalty effectively drops Tsunoda to P17 after the penalty. Tsunoda will have his work cut out for him if he wants to score points. Alpha Tauri teammate Liam Lawson made his debut for the finishing P20.

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) was reprimanded for an incident involving he and Piastri in Turn 2 resulting in a €5000 fine for Ferrari. No grid penalties were issues for the scuffle.

Full Qualifying Results for the Dutch Grand Prix