Welcome to our Dutch GP Sprint Qualifying Live Blog!
Formula 1 is back from the summer break, and the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort is officially underway.
With just one practice session before Sprint Qualifying, Kimi Antonelli immediately picked up where he left off, topping FP1 with a 1:12.949. Lando Norris was just 0.121s behind, while George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed a closely matched top five.
Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari all looked competitive, with less than three tenths separating the top five. McLaren have brought rear-end upgrades to Zandvoort, while Ferrari brought a new floor. Both teams’ upgrades appeared to be working well in the opening session.
Home favourite Max Verstappen, meanwhile, had a more difficult start to his final Dutch GP weekend. The Red Bull driver struggled with oversteer and finished FP1 down in 11th, leaving plenty of work to do ahead of Sprint Qualifying.
There is also a different look to the Red Bull family this weekend. Isack Hadjar is sitting out this weekend after suffering a wrist injury, during the summer break. French man is replaced by Liam Lawson, who is stepping up from Racing Bulls to Red Bull this weekend. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda has returned to the F1 grid, taking Lawson’s seat alongside Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls.
Further down the order, Nico Hülkenberg impressed in seventh for Audi, while Pierre Gasly put Alpine eighth with its new upgrade package. Aston Martin’s engine upgrade also showed encouraging signs, with Fernando Alonso finishing 12th and just 1.562s off the pace.
With the field so closely matched after FP1, who will take Sprint pole?
Join us for live coverage of the 2026 Dutch GP Sprint Qualifying session to find out.