Dutch GP 2025: Verstappen aims to be a thorn in McLaren’s side
Max Verstappen naturally played a central role at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. On his home circuit at Zandvoort, he could not match the outright pace of the McLaren cars, but securing third place in qualifying helped salvage a difficult Friday for the Red Bull team.
While Yuki Tsunoda failed to progress beyond Q2, ending up in 12th position, Saturday brought a more positive outcome for Red Bull’s junior program. Isack Hadjar claimed the second row, placing his Racing Bulls car fourth and right alongside Verstappen.
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The Dutch driver put in a strong effort, especially on his final Q3 lap, where he set the fastest second sector. After the session, speaking to F1TV, Verstappen appeared visibly pleased, saying, “I’m very happy.”
He reflected on the day and compared it briefly with Friday: “This weekend has been very challenging for us. Qualifying went better than the rest of the weekend so far. That’s exactly what we wanted, and we are very satisfied with this result.”
Verstappen also highlighted the impact of the crowd at Zandvoort. The sea of orange fans provided constant support, making his performance almost a duty to them. “It was important to deliver this result for the fans,” he explained.
The Dutch GP circuit is a high-speed, old-school track with few run-off areas. Verstappen added, “[…] this is what I like, and it’s why I’m happy to be here.”
As mentioned earlier, Isack Hadjar will line up beside him on the second row, but Verstappen’s focus remains on his McLaren rivals. Asked if he plans to target them at the start, he replied:
“We’ll see what we can do.” He added: “The McLarens have been fast all weekend, and we’ll see what we can achieve. We’ve made good progress and hope to carry that into tomorrow’s race.”
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