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Dutch GP
F1 Dutch GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 and Qualifying
Saturday's action from the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort
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"Sorry guys, yeah I pushed it just too hard in the last corner," Russell says over team radio as he gets back to the pits. His car doesn't look too damaged despite clipping the barrier with the right-rear wheel.
Red flag
Russell, giving it everything, slides off at the final corner and goes into the gravel trap. That's caused a red flag but the Williams driver has been able to get going again.
The drivers pit for fresh tyres ahead of the final Q2 runs so we have a brief quiet moment before the action gets going again. Zandvoort's pretty cool, isn't it?
All drivers in Q2 have now set a lap time, so in the drop zone with six minutes to go is: Russell, Stroll, Norris, Latifi, Tsunoda.
Stopwatch
Leclerc is going to be a factor in this fight at the front. He slots into P2 with a 1m09.437s, while Gasly also catches the eye by going P3 with a 1m09.541s.
"So tricky with the wind," Russell reports over his team radio as he slots into P5. The flags are flying at a pace above the grandstands.
Stopwatch
Just like Q1, Hamilton slots into P2 with a 1m09.726s a fraction ahead of team-mate Bottas in third. But there's a whole 0.655s splitting Verstappen to Hamilton after those first laps in this session.
Stopwatch
Verstappen's opener in Q2 is a 1m09.071s. Also known as very quick. What can the rest produce?
Bottas and Hamilton also join the track action on used softs. Nobody has gone for the medium tyres just yet - which look set to be the ideal tyre to start on with an eye on race strategy.
Verstappen heads out early in Q2 and is joined by both Williams drivers and McLaren's Norris.
Lights green
Q2 is underway.
During all that Q1 action, Leclerc led a Ferrari 1-2 from Sainz to repeat the results from FP2. Verstappen and the Mercedes pair didn't go for a late run so expect them to join the party later on.
Out in Q1: P16 Perez, P17 Vettel, P18 Kubica, P19 Schumacher, P20 Mazepin.
The near-miss involving Mazepin and Vettel will be investigated after the qualifying. Given Mazepin qualified P20 and last, it'll hardly change much for him nor Vettel, even if the Russian is given a penalty for that Q1 incident.
Vettel is also out in Q1 after having his final lap wrecked by a car park around the final corner. The two Haas accidently create a blockage, forcing the Aston Martin driver to bail out of the lap which leaves him P17.
Fast lap times everywhere. Norris ends up in the drop zone before he crosses the line to push Perez out - the Red Bull driver is out in Q1!
Giovinazzi goes P4! He's also safe, that sees Vettel drop into the Q1 exit spots.
Checkered flag
Last lap time in Q1. Ricciardo puts in a 1m10.255s to go P6. He's safe.
Giovinazzi is the driver currently right on the cusp in P15 with less than one tenth of a second splitting him from Stroll. Game on.
Not for long though, as Russell goes fifth fastest - a very impressive lap once again from the Williams driver - to see Stroll and Ricciardo join Schumacher, Kubica and Mazepin in the bottom five with two minutes to go.
Vettel moves up to P12 which pushes Spa front-row starter Russell into the drop zone.
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"Quite a big track evolution," Sainz is told over his Ferrari team radio. That means times will keep tumbling right until the chequered flag.
Not for long though as Latifi, Tsunoda and Sainz all improve and all reach the top 10. That sees Kubica, Vettel and Stroll pushed into the danger zone.
Kubica creeps out of the drop zone to P15 with a 1m11.555s which pushes Latifi into the Q1 exit.
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Stopwatch
Ocon is the last driver to set a lap time in Q1, a 1m10.732s, to go P8. That sees Tsunoda, Sainz, Mazepin, Schumacher and Kubica in the drop zone with eight minutes to go.
An impressive lap by Gasly puts him P3, with Leclerc slotting into P4, which even at this early stage should be enough to see them both through to Q2. Sainz's first timed effort is 1m12.154s to put him P14 as he feels his way back into things.
Stopwatch
But just like in practice Verstappen bolts clear at the top with a 1m10.036s using the softs. Hamilton and Bottas are on the mediums, with the British driver putting in a 1m10.183s to take P2 ahead of his team-mate's 1m10.421s.
Stopwatch
Perez puts in a 1m10.700s to go quickest for Red Bull beating Williams duo Russell and Latifi.
Here's the rest of the pack, including Sainz in the Ferrari, so we have the full set of 20 drivers contesting Q1. Verstappen is greeted by loud cheers on his out-lap - someone's popular.
Stopwatch
Tsunoda pops in the early leading effort of 1m11.947s. Plenty of laps coming up aiming to beat that.
They are joined by Kubica and Latifi as the rest of the grid stay put in the pits for now. Sainz's Ferrari is still being worked on so time is running out.
Tsunoda, Mazepin and Schumacher provide the early running to start this session - all on the softs - aiming to secure a top-15 place to progress into Q2.
Lights green
Q1 is go!
With seconds before the start of Q1, a quick reminder that Kubica is in for Alfa Romeo after Raikkonen tested positive for COVID-19 this morning. He'll join the rest of the regular 19 drivers in this first session.
Sun
Very un-Spa weather here today. 0% chance of rain in bright and sunny conditions. Simply lovely.
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Here's the latest from Ferrari on Sainz's car repairs:
"We are pushing hard to get it back together in time for quali. We didn’t change the gearbox."
Back to the here and now, the focus is on Sainz's Ferrari after he crashed heavily in FP3. There's about 15 mechanics hard at work trying to get the car ready for Q1 but they've only got seven minutes to go so it's a big ask.
That weekend Nelson Piquet grabbed pole position with a 1m11.074s in his Brabham. Given we've already seen 1m09s in practice those laps won't be that comparable. But always good to know.
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