Dutch Grand Prix 2026 – Saturday at Zandvoort

The Saturday action at the Dutch Grand Prix 2026 in Zandvoort delivered a sprint win for George Russell and a strong qualifying performance, with Mercedes locking out the front row for Sunday’s race. Russell topped the F1 Sprint from pole, controlling the race to secure his third sprint victory of the season, while teammate Kimi Antonelli finished fourth after a late lunge at Oscar Piastri. In qualifying, Russell claimed P2 behind Lando Norris, with Antonelli in P3, both narrowly missing the top spot as rain threatened late in Q3. Russell’s final run was compromised by a small error, costing him a shot at pole, while Antonelli recovered from an early Q1 struggle to nail P3. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff hailed a “solid Saturday,” noting Russell’s strong return after a tough first half of the season and Antonelli’s measured progress. The team stressed the importance of track position at Zandvoort, where overtaking is notoriously difficult, and set their sights on applying pressure to McLaren’s Norris ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix. In the F1 Academy, Mercedes-backed Payton Westcott took a commanding win in the series’ first race of the weekend.