Qualifying was chaotic due to accidents and rain in the early stages. In the end, the best times were on a dry track. Verstappen scored a 1.10.567 and was six tenths faster than Norris. George Russell set the third fastest time, seven-tenths behind the world championship leader.
The fourth fastest time came from Alexander Albon in the surprisingly strong Williams team. Fernando Alonso starts fifth in his Aston Martin on Sunday. The Spaniard shares the third row of the grid with compatriot Carlos Sainz at Ferrari.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez was a disappointing seventh. Lewis Hamilton failed to qualify in the top 10. Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari and started the Dutch Grand Prix in 9th place.
The final part of qualifying was interrupted after four minutes due to a collision with the Williams of Logan Sargeant who had gone off the track at Gerlach corner. The American made his debut in the top ten qualifiers. He was able to exit the Williams car unharmed.
With four minutes remaining, Leclerc caused a second red flag. The Monaco driver spun off the track at Turn 9 and crashed his Ferrari into the tire piles.
The second part of qualifying was disastrous for Hamilton. The seven-time world champion was scuttled by Yuki Tsunoda on his last attempt and dropped out of the top ten. The Briton will start 13th on Sunday.
Liam Lawson replaces Daniel Ricciardo at Alpha Tauri, after the Australian fractured his metatarsal bone in a crash on Friday. The New Zealander had a tough time in his first heat and had to concede a 1.1-second gap to finish 19th. The 21-year-old will start on defense on Sunday.
Verstappen could equal Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2013 on Sunday. The German has won nine consecutive races in that time. Verstappen is now on a streak of eight wins. The Dutch Grand Prix starts at 3pm.
