Max Verstappen stormed to pole position ahead of Charles Leclerc at his home Dutch Grand Prix.
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Leclerc had been the faster driver after the first laps of Q3 by half a tenth and looked set to send Verstappen’s home fans home disappointment, but the Dutchman rallied the second time around to challenge the Monegasque. Leclerc was fastest of all in the first sector, but a blisteringly quick second split was enough for Verstappen to nose ahead before they tackled the final part of the lap.
The Ferrari driver again improved on his time to record a purple sector at the final split, but it wasn’t enough to counteract the Red Bull Racing car’s impressive time in the middle of the lap, and a personal best for Verstappen as he crossed the line was good enough to take his second consecutive Dutch Grand Prix pole position.
It was an emphatic turnaround from Friday’s form, when the home hero found himself on the back foot thanks to a gearbox problem that deprived him of most of FP1.
Kevin Magnussen will start 17th for Haas ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who was half a second slower than teammate Norris as his late-stage McLaren career woes continue.
Sebastian Vettel was a disappointing 19th after oversteering through Turn 13 scrambling over the gravel, throwing away a golden chance to qualify in the top 10.
Nicholas Latifi will start last after qualifying more than a second slower than the rest of the field.
