The reigning World Champion was the fastest driver in qualifying at Zandvoort today, stopping the clock at 1:11.163. Behind him, the Mercedes drivers secured second and third places: George Russell set a best time of 1:11.265, while Kimi Antonelli finished with a 1:11.296. Local favourite Max Verstappen could manage only the seventh-fastest time.
A few drops of rain in the closing minutes prompted teams to bring forward their runs. Track temperature hovered around 27°C, while the air temperature was 19°C. Similar conditions are expected for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.
George Russell won the Sprint Race. The Briton kept Charles Leclerc behind him to take victory, with the Ferrari driver finishing second. Leclerc opted for a different strategy in the short race, running the Soft compound. Russell secured the win on the Medium tyre, which was also used by third-placed Lando Norris.
Only Oliver Bearman, like Leclerc, chose the Soft for the Sprint, while all the other drivers raced on the C3. As in qualifying, rain began to fall in the closing stages of today’s race, shortly before the chequered flag, but without affecting the final outcome.
The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to Lando Norris by Maro Engel. The German driver currently leads the DTM championship, for which Pirelli has been the exclusive tyre supplier since 2023.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“Ferrari’s and Haas’s decision to use the Soft tyre in today’s Sprint demonstrated that the red-marked compound could be an option for Sunday, alongside the Hard and Medium, which are likely to be the most popular choices. All three compounds are therefore in play for the race.
The C4 delivered the level of performance Leclerc needed to close in on Norris thanks to its superior grip, without any drop-off in pace over a longer stint. The relatively low temperatures also helped keep the compound within its optimal operating window. The Sprint further demonstrated how difficult overtaking can be at Zandvoort, an important factor when assessing how costly a pit stop may prove to be.
The quickest strategy is therefore a one-stop, starting on the Medium and running until laps 27-33 before switching to the Hard for the remainder of the race. An alternative, around one second slower, involves starting on the Soft, using it until the window between laps 26 and 32, and then finishing the race on the Hard.
In clean air, two-stop strategies also look competitive on paper, but it is necessary to take into account, as noted earlier, the limited overtaking opportunities available around the circuit.
A third stint could be considered in the event of a Virtual Safety Car or to take advantage of an undercut during the race, provided traffic conditions allow. The degradation levels recorded today, thermal in nature, were limited and, given that drivers are more likely to manage their tyres during the race, should not be decisive in determining strategy, at least for the two harder compounds.”
