Mercedes' George Russell claimed his first pole position in four races for the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix, edging out McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.041 seconds.

Russell, trailing teammate Kimi Antonelli by 59 points in the championship, delivered a strong performance after a difficult first half of the season. "It has been a tough end to the first part of the year so I am really happy to be back," Russell said.

Antonelli could only manage fifth place, behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen qualified sixth for Red Bull, ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. The sprint race on Saturday offers Russell an opportunity to cut into Antonelli's points advantage.

McLaren and Ferrari both showed strong pace, with Norris noting they were "close between all the teams." Leclerc described his performance as his "best qualifying lap of the year."