The result puts the Australian in a prime position to extend his nine-point lead over Norris in Sunday\u2019s 72-lap race around the North Sea circuit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Max Verstappen gave the packed home crowd reason to cheer, securing third on the grid. However, Red Bull\u2019s quarter-of-a-second gap to pole reflected McLaren\u2019s continued dominance. Verstappen will line up alongside rookie sensation Isack Hadjar, who stunned the field by putting his Racing Bulls car fourth, his best-ever qualifying result.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Behind them, Mercedes\u2019 George Russell could only manage fifth, with Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc edging Lewis Hamilton by 0.050s for sixth place. Hamilton, though, was buoyed by making his first Q3 appearance since Silverstone in early July. \u201cThat is progress to get back in,\u201d said the seven-time champion, though Ferrari\u2019s form continues to look shaky heading into the second half of the season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Racing Bulls capped their impressive day with Liam Lawson in eighth, while Williams\u2019 Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin\u2019s Fernando Alonso completed the top ten. Alonso, who showed strong pace on Friday, could not keep up as the frontrunners raised the tempo on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Behind them, Mercedes\u2019 George Russell could only manage fifth, with Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc edging Lewis Hamilton by 0.050s for sixth place. Hamilton, though, was buoyed by making his first Q3 appearance since Silverstone in early July. \u201cThat is progress to get back in,\u201d said the seven-time champion, though Ferrari\u2019s form continues to look shaky heading into the second half of the season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Though he managed to limp back to the pits, the damage proved too severe for Aston Martin to repair in time. It came just a day after Stroll\u2019s mechanics had already worked late into the night to rebuild his AMR25 following a Friday crash. Elsewhere, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull\u2019s Yuki Tsunoda were both eliminated in Q2, with Antonelli agonisingly missing out on Q3 by just 0.021s to Carlos Sainz.<\/p>\r\n\r\n