F1 Championship 2021: Max Verstappen claims pole during Dutch GP qualifiers

It was a phenomenal performance from Max Verstappen, as the local lad managed to claim the pole position in the Dutch Grand Prix qualifier at the Circuit Zandvoort on Saturday. A total of 65,000 fans witnessed the epic moment as he outlasted title rival Lewis Hamilton, who finished second.

Verstappen (1:08.885) was in control of the race throughout as he was well ahead in the first two segments of the qualifier. With a lot left in the tank, he accelerated the pace when it came to cementing the pole spot, while in the second run, he improved his performance further, as he was cheered by rousing Dutch fans.

While Hamilton was never really in contention for the pole, he fought it out to claim the second spot (1:08.923), fighting off Valtteri Bottas (1:09.222) at the third. The fourth spot was taken by Pierre Gasly (1:09.478) of AlphaTauri, while Charles Leclerc (1:09.527) of Ferrari claimed the fifth.

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Carlos Sainz (1:09.537) survived a crash to finish sixth, while Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi (1:09.590) finished seventh. Alfa Romeo was without its top driver Kimi Räikkönen, who was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID.

Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon (1:09.933) came up with an exquisite performance to edge past his Alpine teammate Fernando Alonso (1:09.956) to finish eighth and ninth, respectively. At the tenth spot was McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo (1:10.166).

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