Lando Norris reminded Max Verstappen of his world championship credentials by taking a brilliant pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix.
The British driver, who trails Verstappen by 78 points in the standings with 10 rounds still to play, saw off his rival by 0.356 seconds to silence the 100,000 spectators hoping to see the Dutchman start the Zandvoort race from the front.
Verstappen, without a win from his last four appearances, will start alongside Norris on the front row. Oscar Piastri took third, half a second down on McLaren teammate Norris.
Mercedes’ George Russell finished fourth as Lewis Hamilton endured an afternoon to forget after he failed to make it out of Q2. He will line up from 12th for Sunday’s 72-lap race.
Norris might have been much closer to Verstappen in the title race but for a catalogue of mistakes by driver and team.
However, the 24-year-old brought his A-game to qualifying with a scintillating final effort to provide himself with the best shot of kicking off the second half of the season with just the second win of his career.
Verstappen temporarily bumped Norris off the summit to huge cheers, only for Norris to knock the home favourite, who had taken three poles and three wins since the sport returned to the Netherlands in 2021, off his perch.
Hamilton headed into the summer break with his second win of the campaign after Russell was disqualified in Belgium.
But the seven-time world champion was no match for Russell here after qualifying four-tenths behind his teammate to leave him way down the order for Sunday’s race.
“OK, Lewis, I am afraid, mate, that is P12 so we have been bumped,” said Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington. “Just four and a half tenths to P1 so very tight in that mid-pack.”
It marked the second successive year that Hamilton has been eliminated in Q2 in Zandvoort, and the first time since China – a streak of 10 races – that he has failed to make the concluding part of qualifying. Hamilton is also under investigation for impeding Sergio Perez.
American driver Logan Sargeant watched from the sidelines after he was involved in a heavy crash in final practice that saw him jump out of his burning Williams.
Sargeant lost control of his car through the banked third corner in the wet conditions as he bounced off the barrier and back on to the track.
The 23-year-old suffered extensive damage to his car, as his right-rear tyre came loose and bounced along the asphalt, before it suddenly caught fire.
Sargeant emerged from his wrecked machine before slumping over the barriers. He was taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks but Williams were unable to repair his car in time.
Afterwards, Norris said: “An amazing day, nice to be back and start with a pole.
“It was a nice lap. The qualifying was always pretty smooth and put in some good laps especially the one at the end.
“I felt comfortable. The car was feeling amazing. We have some upgrades on the car for the first time in a while and everything is working well.”
Verstappen, who has never been beaten in a Grand Prix at Zandvoort, said: “The whole qualifying (we) just lacked a bit of pace. I’m still very happy to be on the front row.
“We have these gusts of wind coming in every lap is different so you can’t build.
“But after yesterday this is a good result. Hopefully, the car will be OK in the race. We will give it a good go but when you are more than 0.3secs behind in qualifying you have to be realistic.”
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona v Real Madrid, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
