For Kimi Antonelli, a fourth-place finish in the Sprint Race at the 2026 F1 Dutch GP marked another successful outing, adding a valuable points haul to his existing championship-leading tally despite a difficult Sprint Qualifying session yesterday.
Having qualified fifth for the Sprint, the Italian’s session was compromised early on after he ran wide at Turn 13 during his first run in SQ1. The mistake resulted in significant damage to the floor of his car and left him struggling with the handling through slow-speed corners.
At lights out, Antonelli immediately gained a position by jumping McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on the opening lap and held on for the remainder of the race. Although he briefly looked to challenge Lando Norris for third, the lack of overtaking opportunities at Zandvoort ultimately saw Antonelli finish one position higher than where he started.
Sprint Race was “confirmation that you need to start at the front”
While teammate George Russell converted pole position into his third Sprint win of the season, Antonelli reflected on his race, describing it as one that was “difficult”. Speaking to the media after the session, the Italian driver said: “Yeah, I think obviously starting at the back is always a bit difficult and today was the confirmation that you need to start at the front.”
“Because it’s hard to overtake and the dirty air is quite effective, especially the longer you go throughout the race. So yeah, I think pace was was quite okay. But of course, need to do a better qualifying.”
Antonelli looks to continue strong run of form at 2026 F1 Dutch GP
Throughout the first half of the season, Antonelli has impressed with his pace, often holding the upper hand over his more experienced teammate. Having finished on the podium at all but three race weekends, the Italian’s consistency has paid off as he continues to lead the Drivers’ Standings with 224 points. The 19 year-old holds a 53-point advantage over seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Though Antonelli’s race pace showed encouraging signs ahead of tomorrow’s main race, focus now shifts to the main Qualifying session later today.
