Verstappen stays on pole at home

Leclerc and Sainz will start after the leader and Alonso will start thirteenth

MADRID, 3 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) has signed the pole for the Dutch Grand Prix race, the fifteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship, and will seek to take a 'bite' of the championship ahead of the two Ferraris of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc and the Spanish Carlos Sainz, second and third respectively, while Fernando Alonso (Alpine) could not reach Q3 and will start thirteenth.

In an exciting final battle in Zandvoort, Verstappen took the lead with a 1:10.515 that seemed to guarantee him the privileged position to the jubilation of his compatriots, who dyed the stands orange. However, with just over six minutes to go, the figure of the Monegasque emerged.

By 59 thousandths, Leclerc, dominator of Free Practice 3, unseated the time of the Dutchman, who however did not give up. With the time completed, he improved the time of one of his main opponents for the World Cup by 21 thousandths and benefited from a final spin by his teammate Sergio Pérez, who prevented Leclerc from beating him on his last flying lap.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes of the British Lewis Hamilton and George Russell 'sandwiched' 'Checo', finally fifth between them. Lando Norris (McLaren), the German Mick Schumacher (Haas), the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) and the Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) completed the 'Top 10'.

The dominance of 'Mad Max' seemed indisputable during the first two qualifying rounds, and it was not until the final Q3 when the 'Scuderia' showed their cards. Along the way, single-seaters like the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) or the German Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) fell, for whom a line error cost him a hole in Q2.

It was in the middle of the second round when the action had to stop due to the launch of a flare in the middle of the track, and at the resumption the two Alpines, both the Frenchman Esteban Ocon and the Asturian Fernando Alonso, who will start this Sunday twelfth and thirteenth, respectively.

In the final round, the battle between Verstappen and Leclerc raised those present in Zandvoort from their seats, who exploded when it was confirmed that their countryman will start the race from pole. Now, the Dutchman will try to leave the championship almost sentenced, where he rules with a firm hand over his teammate, 93 points away, and the Monegasque, 98.