The future of Mick Schumacher in Formula 1 remains unclear, in qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix the Haas driver shapes the present in his own way. World Cup dominator Max Verstappen lets his home crowd freak out late.
Amid the deafening cheers of his fans, Max Verstappen secured pole position for his Formula 1 home race at the last minute. With an outstanding last lap in qualifying, the world champion pushed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc into second place. "The last lap was amazing," said Red Bull man Verstappen after his fourth pole this year and his 17th overall. Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz finished third on the Zandvoort dune course.
In front of the eyes of mother Corinna, who was excited in the pits, Mick Schumacher even raced to eighth place on the grid for the Dutch Grand Prix. It was the third-best qualifying result for the Haas pilot, who is fighting for a cockpit for next year and doing the best self-promotion. After a spin by Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez just before the clock ran out, the rivals were no longer able to fight back.
Sebastian Vettel experienced a disappointment. Just before the end of the first knockout round, the Aston Martin driver was on a fast lap when he made a driving error on a sandy section and drifted into the gravel trap. Vettel was only penultimate and missed the second qualifying phase for the third time in a row. With overtaking difficult at Zandvoort, Vettel must be prepared for a bitter Grand Prix. "I was quite surprised when I lost the rear," said Vettel. The starting position now makes it "incredibly difficult" in the race.
Verstappen had struggled through Friday. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko rightly spoke of a "bumpy start". Transmission problems had cost valuable time. "We're back to the music," said Marko after the final training session, when world champion Verstappen was up to 0.161 seconds behind top man Leclerc.
In the hunt for a starting position, the championship leader initially set the tone. In the second knockout round, which was briefly interrupted because of a smoke screen on the asphalt and pigeons on the green strip, Sainz presented again. As in the previous year, Verstappen grabbed the best starting position at the last second. "It was unbelievable, even compared to yesterday when we had a difficult day," Verstappen recalled the problems on Friday. "But we managed to turn it around. It was tight." Verstappen was just 0.021 seconds ahead of Leclerc.
"A great day," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner praised his top man and spoke of a "huge middle sector" that the Dutchman had done on his last lap. Verstappen has won nine out of 14 Grands Prix this year. Before the 15th race of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky and RTL), he leads the championship standings with 93 points ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez. Leclerc has a whopping 98 points less than the leader.
