Auto. F1: Piastri on pole in the Netherlands, Hadjar will start on the second row behind Verstappen

Unsurprisingly, the McLarens dominated qualifying again on Saturday at the Dutch Grand Prix circuit where pole went to Australian Oscar Piastri , for the fifth time this season, ahead of Briton Lando Norris by just 0.12 seconds.

"It's been a bit of a difficult weekend so far, so I'm really pleased to have managed to pull through like this," said the world championship leader, who had consistently outpaced Norris during free practice.

Piastri also claimed the new all-time record at the Dutch circuit, improving on the previous record set by Norris moments before, while the last record – set by local hero Max Verstappen – dated back to 2021. The Australian will be aiming for a ninth F1 victory on Sunday (3 p.m.). This success would be McLaren's 12th in 15 races this year.

The slight surprise came from Frenchman Isack Hadjar , who set the fourth fastest time behind reigning Dutch world champion Max Verstappen. The Racing Bulls driver will therefore start on the second row on Sunday and has achieved his best qualifying performance of his career. His last was in Monaco (6th). The other French drivers on the grid, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Esteban Ocon (Haas), will be only 14th and 18th on the starting grid.

The two Ferraris of Monaco's Charles Leclerc and seven-time British champion Lewis Hamilton will start 6th and 7th respectively.