Overview

• The Red Bull driver set a 1:18.792 to secure pole with the fastest lap in F1 history by average speed (264.68 km/h), edging Lando Norris by 0.077s with Oscar Piastri third.
• Norris nearly missed Q3 after a scruffy Q2 but advanced thanks to a tow from teammate Piastri before briefly topping Q3 on his final run.
• Ferrari qualified on row two with Charles Leclerc fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth, though Hamilton will drop five grid places due to his Zandvoort penalty.
• Red Bull credited a revised Friday program, a new underfloor and a flatter rear wing, with Verstappen insisting on the final setup choice that he said “worked.”
• Recent resurfacing and kerb changes helped produce higher speeds, and despite pole, history and team comments suggest McLaren’s race pace could keep Sunday’s fight tight.