F1 Dutch GP Live Commentary and Updates - Qualifying
Saturday's action form the 15th round of the 2024 Formula 1 season concludes with qualifying.
F1 awakens from its summer slumber with a quickfire double-header to end the European season.
Pierre Gasly topped a final practice session interrupted for 44 minutes due to barrier repairs after a fiery crash for Logan Sargeant. So with plenty of unknowns to be answered, who will be on pole?
Qualifying gets under way at 2pm BST.
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That brings us to the end of qualifying coverage at the Dutch GP. Read the full qualifying report here!
We will be back for race day but, until then, keep track of the biggest stories across the Autosport website. See you then!
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Albon has made a habit of being the unsung hero in the Williams over the past season and a half and, yet again, he has pulled up trees with some stunning laps.
Points are on the cards if he can replicate that in the race tomorrow.
In what long-run simulation there was yesterday in amongst the changing conditions, Verstappen looked the man to beat.
But unless Perez can clear Russell, McLaren may be able to pincer Red Bull into a strategic corner.
Verstappen hasn't been beaten in a race at Zandvoort since the circuit returned to F1. Can Norris break that streak tomorrow?
Leclerc will start sixth for Ferrari, with Alonso alongside. Albon, Stroll and Gasly complete the top 10.
What a qualifying session that was! Has everyone caught their breath?
It's an improvement for Piastri but he stays third, while Russell behind jumps Perez for fourth.
Norris is on pole for the Dutch Grand Prix!
That was short-lived... Norris into the 1m09s with a stellar lap.
Perez jumps to fourth, four-tenths down on his team-mate, while Piastri is on a so-so lap...
They're all improving - Norris especially so to open the lap, but Verstappen is flying in the middle of the lap.
Verstappen goes fastest!
Less than two minutes in the session and Verstappen is the first of the pole fighters to start a lap.
"I cannot do more than this," says Alonso as the rest of the drivers now file out of the pits.
The wind has picked up and the track temperature is dropping.
Alonso finds improvement on his Q2 effort to go fifth and ahead of Stroll.
A big correction through Turn 1 and again through Turn 3 for the Canadian.
Maybe a missed opportunity as he manages only sixth. The car didn't look compliant though.
Just the Astons on track with five minutes to go, Stroll will be the first of the team-mates to post a time.
"Double-check the floor." Verstappen drifted wide through the penultimate corner and may have picked up damage.
Leclerc was on used tyres and goes fourth ahead of Gasly, though Russell beats both, though is four-tenths down on P1.
Stroll, Perez, Albon and Alonso await their chance in the pits.
Verstappen can't beat Piastri but Norris can! It's a provisional McLaren one-two.
A 1m10.074s is 0.119s faster.
It's Norris who is best in S1 though, with Piastri bettering Verstappen in sector two.
A 1m10.1s is the benchmark.
Piastri will be the first over the line, let's see what the Australian can do. A 24.125s in the first sector is slower than Verstappen behind...
The fight for pole is on - Q3 is go!
Verstappen stayed in the garage for those last runs and was only a tenth faster than Hamilton. Brave as you like from Red Bull, but now a strategic advantage, along with the top three from Q2.
Putting it into perspective, Hamilton in 12th was just four-and-a-half-tenths down on P1.
He had a big slide into Turn 1 and another through Turn 8.
Sainz's failure was kind of expected when following his progress through the weekend, but Hamilton just couldn't replicate his Q1 form.
So Albon, Gasly and the two Astons have sprung a surprise, with Sainz, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg and Magnussen all out of qualifying.
Hamilton is the last to cross the line, he's fallen to 12th as others improve. Will he make Q3? NO!
The Mercedes was three-tenths down in sector one and couldn't improve. Ouch.
Make that 10th as Stroll goes up to fourth. Leclerc goes up to sixth to push Sainz out of qualifying!
Perez goes ahead of Verstappen and into fourth, with Albon fifth. Alonso is only eighth as Sainz can muster just ninth.
Hulkenberg improves but goes only 11th - he will fall from there.
Gasly goes fifth to push Sainz down into the drop zone, with Tsunoda up to sixth. Take a breath!
The Haas duo break the silence with 3:30 left on the clock and are quickly followed by everyone else.
A lull for a few minutes ahead of what will be a flurry of activity at the death of the session. Will there be a surprise?
Yikes for Ferrari. Sainz on new tyres goes just 10th, with Leclerc sixth.
That leaves Magnussen, Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg and Albon in the elimination zone with six minutes to go.
Russell and Hamilton next across - the form has switched from Q1.
The former goes third, 0.056s down on Norris while Hamilton loses half a second to go fifth.
Stroll looks to be in fine form - the Aston Martin into fourth for now.
Perez slots into fifth and Alonso sixth.
Hulkenberg goes over a second slower in second as Verstappen battles chronic understeer through the middle sector.
He finishes up three-tenths down on the Australian as Norris goes fastest by 0.009s.
The difference between used and new tyres clear for all to see as Piastri goes a second faster than Leclerc after two seconds.
A 1m10.505s is a good benchmark.
After Ferrari's private running, now the rest begin to flow out of the pits.
Verstappen notes the weather beginning to darken as Red Bull confirms rain is in the air. Cat... pigeons... amongst...
Another slide for Sainz as he exits Turn 10, the back-end wandering around like a shopper in the January sales.
Leclerc goes faster by a couple of tenths with a 1m11.665s. Both were on used softs, however.
By: Autosport Staff
