Piastri 'surprised' to miss front row at Dutch GP qualifying

Oscar Piastri admitted he was surprised to miss out on a front-row start at the Dutch Grand Prix, qualifying fourth at Zandvoort despite feeling far more comfortable with his McLaren than in recent races. The Australian trailed pole-sitting teammate Lando Norris by just 0.142 seconds in Q3, while a tiny 0.009-second gap separated him from third-placed Kimi Antonelli.

Why it matters:

Piastri's qualifying performance signals McLaren's improved one-lap pace and his own growing confidence, yet it also shows how tight the margins are at the front. After struggling with rear tyre degradation in Saturday's sprint, the team's ability to fix those issues while maintaining raw speed will be critical to turning strong grid positions into big points.

The details:

• Piastri topped Q1 and ran Norris close in Q2, but George Russell and Antonelli split the McLaren pair in Q3.
• Team principal Andrea Stella said Piastri was driving "very well," with his deficit to Norris coming down to just a couple of corners and roughly one tenth of a second.
• McLaren's sprint race exposed weaknesses in low-speed corners and excessive rear tyre degradation, costing both drivers positions over the 24-lap stint.
• Setup tweaks ahead of grand prix qualifying targeted low-speed grip and reduced rear axle demand, helping Norris secure consecutive pole while giving Piastri greater confidence.
• Despite starting fourth, Piastri's pace has the team optimistic that a double podium is within reach if the changes translate to better long-run performance.

What's next:

McLaren enters Sunday's race targeting a double podium, though Stella conceded Ferrari's Charles Leclerc looked strongest on long-run pace during the sprint. Whether the Woking squad has truly cured its tyre issues will decide if both drivers can convert their qualifying speed into a strong result at Zandvoort.