Formula 1 is officially back, and sprint qualifying at Zandvoort gave us plenty to talk about. McLaren and Ferrari looked quick throughout the session, Kimi Antonelli gave Mercedes an early scare, Yuki Tsunoda made his return to Formula 1 action, and when it mattered most, George Russell delivered.
Russell will start the Sprint from P1, ahead of Lando Norris in P2 and Charles Leclerc in P3. As someone who already predicted Russell to finish on the podium this weekend, you know I’m enjoying this one.
SQ1: Ferrari and McLaren Start Strong
SQ1 immediately showed us where some of the pace was. Charles Leclerc finished P1, followed by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with Ferrari and McLaren establishing themselves at the front early.
One of the biggest moments of SQ1 came from Kimi Antonelli, who went off on his first lap and compromised his opening run. That’s exactly the kind of mistake you don’t want in sprint qualifying, where there is very little time to recover. Antonelli was able to continue, but it immediately put some pressure on the young Mercedes driver.
SQ2: McLaren Takes Over
SQ2 saw Oscar Piastri go fastest, with Norris in second and Leclerc third. McLaren looked extremely strong, and at this point it appeared like they might be the team to beat heading into the final session.
One thing that caught my attention was the tire preparation from the top teams. Rather than immediately completing a warm up lap and then pushing, we repeatedly saw drivers complete a warm up lap, another preparation lap and then finally attack. That showed how important getting the tires into the correct operating window was around Zandvoort. With such small margins between the top teams, preparing the tires properly could be the difference between starting at the front and finding yourself several positions further back.
Heading into SQ3, McLaren looked dangerous.
Then George Russell showed up.
SQ3: George Russell Delivers
YESSSS. George Russell takes P1.
When everything came down to the final runs, Russell put together the best lap of the session and secured the top starting position for the Sprint. Lando Norris finished P2 with Charles Leclerc P3, completing a Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari top three. This also marks Russell’s third Sprint pole of the 2026 season, further showing just how strong George has been when it comes to delivering over one lap this year.
What makes Russell’s lap even more encouraging is where the speed came from. Russell went purple in Sector 1 and Sector 3, while Norris produced the fastest middle sector. Norris clearly had serious speed through Sector 2, but Russell was stronger at both the beginning and end of the lap and ultimately put together the better complete performance.
This wasn’t simply Russell inheriting P1 because another driver made a huge mistake. The Mercedes had genuine pace, and George extracted it when the pressure was highest. McLaren should still be extremely dangerous in the Sprint. Piastri topped SQ2, Norris was consistently near the front and Norris having the fastest middle sector in SQ3 shows there is plenty of speed in that car.
But for today, George Russell got them.
Mercedes Has Something to Work With
It’s still far too early to make huge conclusions about the rest of the weekend. Sprint qualifying is one session, and tomorrow’s Sprint will tell us much more about long run pace, tire degradation and how these cars behave when they’re actually racing one another.
But Mercedes couldn’t have asked for much more from Russell. Zandvoort is a circuit where confidence matters. It’s narrow, fast and unforgiving, and qualifying position becomes particularly valuable when overtaking isn’t easy. Starting from P1 gives Russell an opportunity to control the opening stages of the Sprint rather than immediately having to fight through traffic.
Norris will obviously be right there, and after the pace McLaren showed throughout SQ1 and SQ2, I don’t expect Russell to have an easy afternoon tomorrow.
But he’ll have track position.
Now he needs to use it.
Welcome Back, Yuki Tsunoda
Before we wrap up, welcome back to Yuki Tsunoda.
Zandvoort marks Tsunoda’s first time driving in Formula 1 in 2026, and regardless of where he ultimately ends up this weekend, it’s good to see him back behind the wheel. After spending the season away from the grid, simply getting another opportunity to compete in an F1 car is a big moment.
There will naturally be some rust after that much time away, so I’m not expecting perfection immediately. This weekend is about getting comfortable again, finding some rhythm and reminding everyone what he can do.
Welcome back, Yuki.
Final Thoughts
Formula 1 returned from the break and immediately gave us an interesting sprint qualifying session. Ferrari started strongly with Leclerc topping SQ1. McLaren responded with Piastri leading SQ2. Antonelli had an early scare, tire preparation became an interesting part of the session and Tsunoda finally returned to Formula 1 action.
Then when SQ3 arrived, George Russell produced the lap that mattered.
Russell P1. Norris P2. Leclerc P3.
Purple Sector 1. Purple Sector 3. Third Sprint pole of 2026. P1 when the flag fell.
I’ve already got Russell on my podium for Zandvoort.
So far, I’m liking that prediction.
Now let’s see if George can convert it in the Sprint.
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