AUGUST 26: Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 26, 2023 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – Following Friday’s practice sessions, Formula 1 teams and drivers turned to Saturday for the final round of practice plus the qualifying rounds ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen looked favorites going into the weekend after winning the previous two pole positions (converted to race wins) for the home race driver.
Once again, much like most of the races ahead of the summer break, Mother Nature appeared during an F1 weekend. The rain falling during the Saturday sessions means at least one session per race weekend since the Monaco Grand Prix has had teams deal with a wet track.
The beautiful blue sky from Friday was replaced by dark clouds and rain that proved difficult for the teams around the Circuit Zandvoort as multiple drivers fared the tricky conditions. Red Bull teammates Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and McLaren of Lando Norris find their way off-track but keep going.
But the same luck wasn’t available for drivers such as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, who found his way into the Turn 3 barriers, meaning both Haas drivers had issues in just two days during the weekend. Not long after, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu beached his car in the gravel out of the final corner. Near the end of the session, first-time Grand Prix driver Liam Lawson, standing in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo, spun his car around in Turn 14 but returned to the pits.
Verstappen led the way in FP3 in the wet, with Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes following behind. Perez followed in third, with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso following behind. Rounding out the Top 5 was the Mercedes of George Russell.
The rain started to lighten up as teams prepared for qualifying to begin after a short break after the third and final practice of the weekend. Units bolted on the Intermediate tires and sent drivers out to traverse a soggy track to battle for the first qualifying round.
Like many wet qualifying rounds, teams sent their drivers out in Q1 to just run and let the lap times continue to fall. Once again, in a wet qualifying session, the Williams of Alex Albon started to shine as he set the fastest time of the session, hitting the optimal time, just quicker than Verstappen. The McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri looked to continue their rise up the standings as they had shown in the races before the summer break.
But drama came from the bottom of the order as drivers tried to get their best lap possible with the changing conditions, and for some, it was too little too late as laps kept falling. AlphaTauri’s Lawson, still starting to understand an F1 car and Intermediate tires, rounded out the field and joined the Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu. The Haas of Magnussen couldn’t improve as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon made a surprise exit in Q1, unable to move to the second qualifying round.
AUGUST 26: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 26, 2023 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
The sun started to shine a bit more, but the track was still damp, so teams sent drivers back out with Intermediate tires for the second round, for ten spots to play for going into the final game.
Norris and Verstappen again traded the top of the timing sheets, with Albon hanging on right behind. In the final moments, as Hamilton looked to be on the outside looking in for a shock Q2 exit, the Williams of Logan Sargeant made a surprise entrance into the Top 10, making him the first American-born driver to make it into the Top 10 in qualifying since Michael Andretti in 1993.
The Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda, the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, and the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll were Joining Hamilton, not making it into the third round of qualifying. However, some positions might change following a stewards review of impeding runs.
With more sun shining down on the track, teams looked to switch from the Intermediate tires to the faster Soft tires, along with the addition of the Drag Reduction System. Most teams started Q3 with soft tires, but some picked Intermediates if the cross-over point hadn’t hit yet.
Immediately, both Williams drivers of Albon and Sargeant rocketed to the top of the timing sheets, but the joy was short-lived. Looking for more speed, Sargeant found the wet track with his rear tires and was sent spinning into the barriers out of Turn 2, having a hero-to-zero moment. Immediately, due to the barrier damage, the session was red-flagged for repair.
With the barriers fixed, the remaining nine drivers were sent back out, all on the Soft compound tires. The McLaren pair set the benchmark, with Norris leading ahead of his teammate and Verstappen, who had just completed his first timed lap of the round.
But once again, the red flag was shown as Charles Leclerc went off in Turn 9, besides bringing out the red flag. Thankfully, there was still time on the clock for at least one more timed lap for the remaining drivers.
With the Ferrari cleared out of the way, it was time to put everything together for one lap to get the Dutch Grand Prix pole. McLaren looked to pick up where they had left off, but Verstappen was on his way to set an impressive flyer. He came around to take the flag, developing an outstanding time to beat, which no one could, as he took a sensational hat trick of pole positions at his home track, with Norris following along in second.
The Dutch master 🤩
The Zandvoort crowd salute their hero after a superb qualifying 🧡#DutchGP @Max33Verstappen pic.twitter.com/DIblJMYZ7m
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 26, 2023
Behind them, Russell brought his Mercedes to third with the surprising speed out of Albon in his Williams and Alonso in his Aston Martin, closing out the Top 5. Carlos Sainz brought his Ferrari home sixth, with Perez and Piastri closing out the remaining runners. This qualifying session had six teams represented in the Top 6 on the starting grid for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Although the qualifying is over, it doesn’t mean the positions are finalized. Following a review by the stewards, they deemed that Yuki Tsunoda held up Lewis Hamilton in Q2, possibly keeping the seven-time champion out of the final round. Further checks saw no other action regarding a possible impending between Stroll and Hamilton. At the same time, Carlos Sainz received a monetary fine and a reprimand for cutting it too close to Piastri early in the qualifying session.
Now all eyes turn to Sunday when it becomes time to see if Verstappen can match a record or if a team like McLaren can fight against the mighty Red Bull.
