Hallo, MiniFans! The summer break’s finally over and we’re back to racing. Zandvoort kicks off this second half of the season with an orange army in its grandstand, trying to push their own to beat the McLarens in what would alost be a miracle. Things don’t seem to have changed much, as the championship leaders remain at the front, but nothing’s set in stone until the checkered flag waves.
The first qualifying back meant that everyone was eager to go out in Q1, getting to the track in the first handful of minutes. Added to the wind and the uncertainty of track improvement, most of those fighting to get through were out as soon as they were allowed, starting to set times. He first laps were in when Stroll spun and crashed entering the last corner, luckily being able to drive backc to the pitlane. After a brief yellow flag, it was go-time again, this time with the big guns coming out.
In a repeat of the free practices, Alonso shot up in the timing tower, beating the Mercedes and only slower than the McLarens and Verstappen. Unlike him, Ferrari was struggling, not even making the top ten before the last-minute track improvement, but Stroll’s earlier crash forced him to abandon the session, freeing one spot as both Aston Martin were predicted to make at least Q2. The last few laps were a mix of the at-risk drivers trying to save themselves and the rest either not even going out or aborting attempts in otder to save on the precious softs, which didn’t yield surprising results. The eliminated drivers in Q1 were Colapinto (P16), Hulkenberg (P17), Ocon (P18), Bearman (P19) and Stroll (P20).
Ferrari seemed to be in a hurry, maybe to try and finally make sense of the car and find the sweet spot, as they were the first and only ones out since the start of Q2, although with used tyres, as they were clearly not looking for a fast lap. Soon after, the cars started queuing up in the fast lane of the pitlane, opening up gaps among themselves to try and avoid traffic. As the times started coming out, there were two crystal clear statements: the track improvement was great and used tyres weren’t as bad as originally expected.
Times quickly lowered and McLaren was back on top, with Verstappen still holding onto third as everyone was trying to find a spot in Q3. Ferrari seemed to have found something, as both closed the top 5, joining drivers like Hadjar and Sainz, but others, expected to do better, weren’t doing as well. Namely Alonso, who struggled in the first sector but pulled through in the second and third, following in Lawson’s footsteps, who had just joined his teammate, to also find a seat in Q3. Their antics saved them, but doomed Antonelli, barely pushing him down to eleventh. The eliminated drivers in Q2 were Antonelli (P11), Tsunoda (P12), Bottas (P13), Gasly (P14) and Albon (P15).
McLaren led the charge in Q3, being the first ones out, trying to get ahead of the possible flags due to crashes that would halt their attempts. They were the only ones with two sets of fresh softs, alongside Russell and Verstappen, so they could go all in since the very start. The battle was head to head, separated by barely one hundredth after crossing the finish line and splitting the purple sectors, with Piastri in front. The rest of the field was led by Russell, at least until Verstappen made an appearance and wiped him off third by two tenths. Once the first stint was over, it was clear who was fit to fight for pole, but the end result might still change.
The papaya team was once again at the front of the line, but the battle for third would go down to the line, as Verstappen bade his time inside the box. In their own little bubble, Piastri was easily replicating Norris’ times, who didn’t manage to beat the earlier time set by his teammate and conceding pole position to the Australian. However, the big surprise was set to come, with Hadjar following the same strategy as Verstappen and both finishing in fourth and third respectively, which was a big feat for Verstappen but even bigger for a rookie that keeps on proving himself on track.
There are some tracks that allow for driver finessing, letting talent shine through while still mostly testing car performance. The expected happened, with McLaren claiming pole position, but Verstappen was on the other end, overdriving his car to set it high up on the timing tower, even stealing the second sector away from them, However, it was Hadjar who’d receive the highest praise, as he managed to climb up to fourth in his RB, awing the grid and leaving himself to plan who to repeat the feat on Sunday.
MiniDrivers – F1
2025 Dutch GP
Qualifying
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