Russell claims Dutch GP Sprint pole with Antonelli, Hamilton on back foot

George Russell made the ideal start to his attempt to mount a championship fightback in the second half of the 2026 F1 season by claiming pole position for Saturday's Dutch Grand Prix Sprint as nearest title rivals Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton qualified outside the top four.

On F1's first day back on track after the sport's four-week summer break, Russell claimed his third Sprint pole in five attempts this season as his final SQ3 lap of 1:11.567 beat McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to the head of the grid by under a tenth of a second.