By: The chase is back on! Antonelli took a day and a half more time off than his team-mate, but, as the outcome of today's qualifying shows, Kimi is now fully ready to get back to defending first place. Third on the grid may not be pole position, but it will allow him to start on the clean side tomorrow, behind pole-sitter Lando Norris and alongside team-mate Russell.
However, the chase is not only back on for Kimi, but also for McLaren. Despite proving slower than Leclerc's Ferrari in the Sprint, it performs much better over a single lap. The technicians at Maranello still have problems to solve in this regard. The Woking team is improving and, even if it will probably not be able to win more than a few races, it wants to return to the front and be on a par with the big teams in 2027. The chase is on.
As for the Prancing Horse team and its fans, they will certainly be very disappointed tonight, but that does not mean the race will not offer opportunities to Hamilton and Charles. Today, within the Top 8, we saw just one overtake: the Monegasque driver passing Norris. It cannot get any worse than that.
Indeed, on a circuit where overtaking is taboo, the absence of mandatory pit stops only serves to lock the positions in place. Tomorrow, however, we could see as many as two stops, which, combined with the rain variable, could make for a good race.
2026 Dutch GP starting grid - race starts at 15:00
Once again today, there have been no significant penalties. This is the provisional grid for the Dutch GP! Lights out is on Sunday 23 August at 15:00.
Why do we call it a provisional grid? Because the teams' technicians could still find issues with the cars before tomorrow's race and, should a component subject to regulatory restrictions need replacing, the Federation would be forced to demote the driver concerned by several places on the grid.
P.S.: You can always find the updated standings on our website at the end of every session.
Cover photo: X, F1
Inside photo: FIA
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Dutch GP 2026
