Sprint Victory and Strong Qualifying on Saturday

• George Russell qualified P2 with team-mate Kimi Antonelli P3 for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix; that followed George taking victory in the F1 Sprint with Kimi P4 earlier in the day.

• Having qualified on pole for the Sprint, George drove a controlled race to take his third Sprint win of the season.

• Kimi meanwhile passed the McLaren of Oscar Piastri on lap one to move up one spot to P4; he came close to passing Lando Norris, Piastri’s team-mate, in the closing stages but had to settle for fourth.

• Much of Qualifying was focused on getting the right warm-up for the Soft compound, with a mix of preparation laps used and first lap pushes with a hard out-lap.

• Come Q3, the team opted for a preparation lap on our opening efforts before going for it on the first lap for the second set of tyres with rain imminent.

• Both George and Kimi improved but fell just over one tenth shy of the pacesetting McLaren of Norris.

• That caps a strong day in Zandvoort with the team well-placed to fight for solid points on Sunday.

• In F1 Academy, Mercedes-backed driver Payton Westcott claimed her maiden victory in the series with a dominant win in race one of the weekend.

George Russell

It was good to start today with victory in the Sprint. It was a controlled race where I was mainly managing the tyres and the gap behind. We saw how close the field is at the front so track position was key. Overall, it’s positive to see that we’ve returned from the summer break with good pace and this has given me and the team a boost of confidence.

In the afternoon, it was an intense end to Qualifying. We knew there was rain on the way near the end of Q3, so we opted to pull our run programme forward. On my final effort, the first half of the lap was strong and my best of the weekend. I made a small mistake in the second half of the lap, increased the temperature of the tyres, and the lap time ran away a little. That was a shame as I think pole position was possible. Tomorrow will be an interesting race. The McLarens looked quick in the Sprint and have good track position with Norris. The Ferraris have been fast too so it is good for us that they qualified behind us. Track position is important, but it will be a long Grand Prix with plenty of interesting strategy options so let’s see what Sunday brings.

Kimi Antonelli

Today hasn’t been the easiest on my side. I didn’t feel fully comfortable with the car, particularly in Q1 in Qualifying, and it was difficult to find a rhythm. I started to get the feeling back towards Q3, but unfortunately, I made a mistake in Turn 1 on my final run. It's a shame because sector one cost me around two tenths and, although I managed to recover some of that through sectors two and three and still put together a lap that was good enough for P3, we could have been in the fight for pole.

Starting from the second row isn't a bad place to be, and there's still everything to play for tomorrow. The field is incredibly close, so I'm pleased to still come away with a decent grid spot despite the challenges. Tomorrow will be about attacking when opportunities present themselves but doing so in a smart way. The podium is certainly within reach, but our focus is on maximising the result and taking any opportunity that comes our way.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

It has been a solid Saturday in Zandvoort. George has continued his good start to the weekend with victory in the Sprint and P2 in Qualifying. He had his fair share of bad luck in the first half of the season so it’s great to see him come back from the summer break so well. Kimi had a decent race too, making up a position but not risking too much.

In Qualifying, it didn’t look like we had the pace to challenge for the front-row, and we were worried at moments that we would be at the back end of the top six cars. In the end, to secure P2 with George and P3 with Kimi is a positive result. Neither driver was completely satisfied with their efforts, but it still gives us a solid position to fight from in tomorrow’s race.

Track position, as we saw in the Sprint is very important here in Zandvoort. Even if the car behind has superior pace, it is tough to pass. We will be doing what we can therefore to put the pressure on the McLaren of Norris ahead. Our race pace looked solid, but not the best, so we will know it will be difficult to fight for the win but that is what we will be aiming to do.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We started the day well with a good Sprint. George put in a very strong drive to convert yesterday's pole into victory. Kimi meanwhile drove a very well-managed race, gaining a place to Piastri at the start to put him P4. Unfortunately, we ran out of laps at the end to have a chance of passing Norris for third.

We made a few changes to the cars going into Qualifying and overall, the car was working reasonably well for both drivers. The challenge was working out whether it was better to go for our efforts on the first lap or do a preparation lap. In Q3, we were also balancing the requirements of the tyres with the fact than an ominous looking rain cloud was nearing on the radar threatening to hit the last few minutes of the final session. Ultimately, we didn't quite have the pace for pole, but P2 for George and P3 for Kimi are reasonable places to start. We will need good long run pace to challenge for the win, but the Sprint suggests that everything is to play for.

Payton Westcott

Winning my first F1 Academy race is a moment I’ll never forget. There has been so much work behind this so it’s incredible to see it pay off. I’m extremely proud of the team, everyone who has supported me, and how it’s all come together today. There is a huge sense of relief but also so much happiness. Standing on the top step of the podium was amazing. To share that moment with two fantastic competitors (Alba Larsen and Nina Gademan) makes it even more special.

The race itself went well from start-to-finish. My initial launch was the strongest, but I had a good first lap and built a comfortable gap. The Safety Car then brought the field back together so I knew the restarts would be crucial. I was able to rebuild the gap both times and control the race from there.

Sprint Race Result

Qualifying Result