On its F1 swansong, Zandvoort's sprint qualifying session produced a tight three-team battle at the front, with Mercedes' George Russell taking pole ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc as the top five was covered by just a tenth of a second. Lewis Hamilton was the outlier, who could only muster seventh in the second Ferrari, beaten by home hero Max Verstappen's Red Bull.
Hamilton struggled with an unsettled SF-26 in SQ3 after subtle set-up changes appeared to transform the car’s handling between practice and qualifying. The team appeared to go in the wrong direction with its set-up decisions, which led to a "completely different car".
