Tim Kraaij is Editor-in-Chief of GPblog.com and a Formula 1 analyst. With permanent FIA accreditation and direct access to the paddock, he delivers in-depth, data-driven analysis and insight into key developments within the sport.
Zak Brown sees Mercedes as the big favourite to win the sprint race. However, the McLaren CEO does not want to call it a dominant car, as anyone can win according to the American.
"It's been a bit of a challenging Friday for us," Zak Brown told Sky Sports ahead of the sprint race in Austin. "Oscar [Piastri] lost his time. Lando [Norris], I didn't think, optimised his lap. I think Mercedes are the fastest actually."
McLaren not using updates
Zak Brown saw 'his' drivers get no further than P4 and P16. Oscar Piastri already dropped out in SQ1. Norris wasn't able to challenge Verstappen's best time.
"We only had the one hour and then obviously the qualifying. The upgrades now, we're in the increments, the milliseconds, not even the tenths, so the data's been good, but we weren't expecting some giant leap forward," Brown concluded.
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Dutch Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 21.08.26
Practice 1
10:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
02:30 PM
Saturday 22.08.26
Sprint Race
10:00 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 23.08.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 21.08.26
Practice 1
Fri 10:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
Fri 02:30 PM
Saturday 22.08.26
Sprint Race
Sat 10:00 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 23.08.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 219 | |
2 | FerrariFER | 169 | |
3 | MercedesMER | 160 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 138 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 128 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 109 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 92 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 68 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 43 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 42 |
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