Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on Sports Extra 3

A great start from George Russell, he did exactly what he needed to do. A gamble from Charles Leclerc to start on the soft tyres, he didn't make it work at the start but he will be getting those tyres up to temperature. Will he make a move on Lando Norris?

The 2026 Dutch Grand Prix sprint race is under way!

George Russell gets away cleanly, Lando Norris tries to slide down the inside but he can't quite make the move stick but Kimi Antonelli gains a place!

Norris then comes under pressure from Charles Leclerc who himself is pressured by Antonelli.

With one lap of the sprint gone it's been relatively clean with no one going wide.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on Sports Extra 3

This could be dicey at the start with the temperatures on these tyres.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Zandvoort

Image source, Getty Images

It was wet this morning. The F1 Academy race started in the wet. It's quite chilly and the rain is coming in in waves, it's quite unpredictable.

Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on Sports Extra 3

It was so close in sprint qualifying, nothing between the top four. This has got all the makings of a tough contest.

Out they go then.

That is apart from the Cadillac of Sergio Perez, who's being wheeled down the pit lane.

More reliability problems for the backmarkers?

Ian Fergusson
BBC weather forecaster

Official risk of rain is 20% for today's sprint race.

BBC Sounds

Think you've got to rely on my ramblings on this page to keep track of what's going on? Think again.

To listen to commentary of today's sprint race, you can either click the 'listen live' tab at the top of the page, head over to the BBC Sounds app and search for Sports Extra 3 if you're heading out or you can ask your smart speaker to "play Sports Extra".

An update to bring you ahead of today's sprint race.

Fernando Alonso will start from the pit lane due to some changes that Aston Martin made to his car last night.

Alonso had a straight line mode (SLM) issue with his car which has now been resolved.

Meanwhile Carlos Sainz will also start from the pit lane following changes to his setup, with Williams saying the decision "[allows] us to gather data for the rest of this weekend."

Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen has committed his future to Red Bull in the build-up to his final home race at Zandvoort this weekend.

The four-time world champion, who had been been linked with potential moves to Mercedes or McLaren, has signed a new deal with the team until the end of 2030.

Verstappen was previously contracted to the end of 2028, but there were clauses in his contract that would have allowed him to leave at the end of the current Formula 1 season had he wanted.

"We have the best people and I'm excited to keep working together with everyone to get back to the top again," said the Dutchman.

"This remains the ultimate goal that all of us have been working towards and will continue to pursue.

"I have always said it: the team is like a second family for me and I feel very at home."

BBC Weather

"Light rain showers and a moderate breeze".

That's the assessment for the weather today at Zandvoort.

Will some coastal winds and rain affect proceedings today? It's a long old day, after all

Image source, Getty Images

In case you missed it.

Red Bull are having to make a slight change to their driver line-up this weekend, as Isack Hadjar has been sidelined for the Dutch Grand Prix with an injured wrist.

The Frenchman will be replaced by New Zealander Liam Lawson, who normally races for Red Bull's second team Racing Bulls.

Lawson's replacement will be Japan's Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull's reserve driver, who was dropped from the leading team at the end of last season.

Hadjar is understood to have broken his wrist while boxing.

"It's great to be back," said Tsunoda on Thursday. "When I heard the news, I was in Greece... at that moment, I was probably lying down at the beach, having a nice time.

"On Tuesday. I got a call to say I might potential be in hte seat this weekend. When I heard, I was like, half excited, half still doubtful, because anything can happen.

"[I'm] super-excited and feeling physically fit."

Image source, Getty Images

Formula 1 says farewell to the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend with the final event at Zandvoort before it drops off the calendar.

Orange smoke has hung in the air of the seaside venue since it returned to the schedule in 2021 after a 36-year absence, with sell-out crowds overwhelmingly supporting Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Despite its popularity, organisers have not been able to make the event work financially and have decided not to continue hosting F1.

Before Zandvoort signs off, we take a look back at a selection of images from the Dutch Grand Prix, which was first run as an F1 event in 1952.

Take a look at the full gallery here

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Zandvoort

Image source, Getty Images

Mercedes' George Russell took his first pole position for four races in qualifying for the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Briton, trailing Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 59 points in the championship, was 0.041 seconds quicker than McLaren's Lando Norris in second.

Antonelli could manage only fifth, behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was sixth, ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who is second in the championship, 50 points behind Antonelli.

Russell's pole was the perfect start to the second part of the season for him, having lost ground to Antonelli in the three races before the summer break after his victory in Austria at the end of June.

Read the full report here

Image source, Getty Images

Mercedes head into the second half of the season with a 72-point advantage over second-placed Ferrari in the constructors' championship. Reigning title holders McLaren sit third, 43 points clear of Red Bull in fourth following Lando Norris' first victory of the season at the Hungaroring.

Racing Bulls jumped above Alpine with double points in Hungary last time out to claim fifth place, and Audi in eighth added another point to their tally thanks to Nico Hulkenberg's ninth-placed finish.

Image source, Getty Images

Teenager Kimi Antonelli, who turns 20 on Tuesday, is leading the drivers' championship by 50 points from seven-time title winner Lewis Hamilton, with Mercedes team-mate George Russell another 55 points off in third place.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris has moved to within 10 points of fourth-placed Charles Leclerc after his win in Hungary before the summer break, while Liam Lawson, stepping in for Isack Hadjar over at Red Bull in Zandvoort this weekend, is now one point ahead of Pierre Gasly in ninth spot.

Jay Freeman
BBC Sport

In Europe it's been one of the hottest summers on record but it's fair to say the weather's not going to be quite as nice today as the Formula 1 juggernaut returns to the Netherlands for the final time.

That being said, if yesterday's anything to go by, the action will be hotting up on track.

George Russell showed how talented he can be behind the wheel of his Mercedes as he narrowly guided his car into pole for today's sprint race.

But the chasing pack of Ferrari and McLaren - not to mention his team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli - all look in fine form to challenge him as this bumper sprint weekend continues.

Today's sprint race kicks off at 11:00 BST. And our feast of Formula 1 fun continues with race qualifying later on at 15:00 BST.