Sprint winner George Russell: “We’re in for a close GP qualifying session”

George Russell did everything right in the Zandvoort Sprint and, starting from pole, secured victory in the mini-race. It was the fourth Sprint triumph of his Formula 1 career, and the second time this year that he has taken first place in a mini-race. The Briton was also in luck, as the threatened rain held off until he had crossed the finish line, at which point it began to fall.

“We were just talking about how, if there’d been one more lap, the result of the race would probably have been quite different. I’m glad it didn’t turn out that way,” explained the Mercedes driver. Speaking about the sprint, he said: “I had a great start, but then the Ferraris looked very quick, so I think it’s going to be a very close affair in today’s Grand Prix qualifying.”

“I was really just looking to preserve my tyres, because I knew that if there were any overtaking manoeuvres, they’d happen at the end of the race. I knew Leclerc would be quick if he got past Lando, so I opened the throttle again when I saw him in my rear-view mirror, and we were able to pull away a bit,” said the seven-time Grand Prix winner.

Looking ahead to the upcoming qualifying session for the Grand Prix grid, Russell revealed: “We’ll make a few minor adjustments here and there before we head into Grand Prix qualifying, but we won’t be making any major changes. Let’s see how far that takes us.”

How the sprint unfolded:

No fewer than two drivers had to start the fifth sprint of the year from the pit lane: work was still being carried out on Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz’s Williams in the Parc Fermé, which is why they weren’t on the starting grid. Sergio Pérez was also pushed out of the pits whilst the rest were completing their warm-up lap, but a problem evidently prevented him from getting the mini-race underway in time.

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Zandvoort: Qualifying

FIA Formula One World Championship

22.08.2026 - 15:30

Pole-setter George Russell defended his lead, with Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad taking the remaining top-10 places behind him. It wasn’t just Piastri who dropped a place; Lawson’s replacement, Yuki Tsunoda, also slipped to 13th.

Nico Hülkenberg got off to the worst start, dropping four places on the first lap and continuing to be overtaken. Most drivers were on medium tyres; only Leclerc and Ollie Bearman had the soft tyres fitted. Whilst Pérez began the sprint two laps down, Hülkenberg was passed back to 21st place.

A bitter pill for Nico Hülkenberg

At the other end of the field, Leclerc came under pressure from Antonelli, who had damaged his GP car during a run-off in the sprint qualifying, meaning he was unable to challenge for pole. Hamilton also showed strong pace, closing in on Verstappen. On lap 6, Hülkenberg was instructed to park his Audi in the pits. He did not return to the track until the end of the 24-lap race.

Even after a third of the sprint, Russell was still leading ahead of Norris and Leclerc. Antonelli, Piastri, Verstappen, Hamilton and Gasly rounded out the top eight. Bortoleto, Lindblad, Franco Colapinto, Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon, Bearman, Alex Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Alonso, Sainz and Pérez followed in the remaining positions.

On lap 10, Norris had a moment of panic, which gave Leclerc the chance to close the gap. His wobbly rear end caused a noticeable loss of time; he lost a second over two laps compared to Russell. At the halfway stage, nothing had changed at the front. Tsunoda, who had been allowed to take the wheel of Lawson’s Racing Bulls car because the New Zealander was standing in for the injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull Racing, was still running in 13th place.

George Russell’s fourth sprint victory

Whilst Audi cited a power issue as the reason for Hülkenberg’s retirement, the gap between Norris and Leclerc widened once again. Verstappen had also managed to shake off Hamilton to some extent. The respite didn’t last long, however, as Hamilton soon closed the gap again. His team-mate Leclerc also found a good rhythm and was closing in on Norris once more.

On lap 17, Sainz was called into the pits. The Williams driver was in twentieth place at that point. Only Pérez was behind him. The Spaniard later returned to the track. At the front, Leclerc finally managed to get past Norris on lap 18. The Monegasque driver then pulled away straight away. Antonelli was also closing in on Norris. The world champion was in danger of being overtaken.

Albon was warned over the radio that a rule change was expected for the final two sprint laps, whilst pole-sitter Russell was racing towards his fourth sprint victory. The Briton got everything right and was delighted to take first place.

Leclerc, Norris, Antonelli, Piastri, Verstappen, Hamilton and Gasly, who occupied the remaining top-eight positions, also picked up points, whilst Bortoleto, Lindblad, Lawson, Colapinto, Tsunoda, Ocon, Bearman, Albon, Stroll, Alonso, Bottas, Sainz, Pérez and Hülkenberg all saw the chequered flag but came away empty-handed. No sooner had the chequered flag fallen than the rain set in.