McLaren locks out front row on Bruce McLaren’s birthday McLaren locks out front row on Bruce McLaren’s birthday
Oscar Piastri claimed pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris in a fitting tribute on what would have been team founder Bruce McLaren’s birthday.
The Australian secured pole with a lap of 1m 08.662s, just 0.012 seconds ahead of Norris. The result came on August 30, exactly 88 years after Bruce McLaren was born in Auckland.
New Zealand’s Liam Lawson delivered a strong qualifying performance for Racing Bulls, securing eighth place and helping the team achieve a double top-10 finish alongside teammate Isack Hadjar, who claimed a career-best fourth position.
Max Verstappen gave the home crowd something to cheer about by qualifying third for Red Bull, while Mercedes’ George Russell rounded out the top five.
Lawson delivers solid qualifying performance
Lawson’s eighth-place qualifying result continues his consistent form since returning to Formula 1 with Racing Bulls. The New Zealander progressed through all three qualifying sessions, initially placing fifth after Q1 before securing his top-10 grid position.
“That was a good session for us,” Lawson said after qualifying. “The car felt strong and we managed to get both cars into Q3, which is always the target.”
Hadjar’s fourth-place result marked a breakthrough performance for the French driver, who described the result as “really unexpected” after struggling for pace in practice sessions.
Close battle decides pole position
The qualifying session saw McLaren dominate throughout, with Piastri setting the early pace in Q1 before Norris responded in Q2. The decisive Q3 session came down to the final runs, with neither driver able to improve on their initial times.
“That was the definition of peaking at the right time,” Piastri said. “I think the whole weekend, I’ve felt pretty good, but there’s just been a couple corners that I’ve not been able to go any faster and I didn’t really go any faster in those corners, but I found some more elsewhere.”
The session was not without drama, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashing early in Q1 and unable to continue.
Dutch Grand Prix qualifying results
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:08.662 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:08.674 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:08.925 |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:09.208 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:09.255 |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:09.311 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:09.423 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:09.445 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:09.501 |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:09.678 |
The result sets up an intriguing race on Sunday, with McLaren looking to convert their front-row advantage into victory at a circuit where overtaking opportunities are limited. For Lawson, the eighth-place grid position provides a solid platform to challenge for points in what has become an increasingly competitive midfield battle.
New Zealand race coverage times:
The Dutch Grand Prix begins at 1500 local time on Sunday. For New Zealand viewers, Sky Sport will provide comprehensive coverage across the weekend. Practice 1 begins Friday at 10:00 PM on Sky Sport 3, followed by Practice 2 at 1:45 AM Saturday on Sky Sport 1. Practice 3 runs Saturday at 9:05 PM on Sky Sport 3, with qualifying starting Sunday at 12:00 AM. The race itself begins Monday at 12:55 AM on Sky Sport 3, with pre-race coverage from 11:30 PM Sunday.
