Verstappen led Bottas by .3 seconds and Hamilton by .35 after his first run. They all improved in his second stint and Verstappen did enough for his 10th career pole finish and sixth in the last seven races.
Hamilton missed a record-extending career pole but surpasses Verstappen by three points in the standings as he aims to secure a record 100th F1 victory on Sunday.
“It’s a tough circuit to overtake,” said Hamilton. “Strategy will come into it.”
Hamilton was thrilled with the 4.3-kilometer (2.7-mile) fast Zandvoort with its high-banked corners.
“What a place for us to do the racing,” said Hamilton. “It’s a good track, I like the old school circuit better. It’s been phenomenal to drive.”
After mocking Hamilton in the last three races when he crashed Verstappen out of the British GP with a risky overtaking move, Dutch fans eventually got over it and clapped after he spoke.
“First of all, I want to say a big thank you to all the Orange fans, the Dutch fans, what an amazing venue, what an amazing track,” said Hamilton. “Max took an amazing lap. I just did it. Hopefully, the track offers a great run.”
Although the narrow design of the circuit makes it difficult to overtake, several high-speed corners give Hamilton a chance to pass Verstappen if he can get close enough.
“It’s not going to be a straight race,” said Verstappen, who is eyeing his seventh win of the season and 17th overall. He leads Hamilton 6-4 in wins so far.
In the first part of qualifying, known as Q1, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr were 1–2, with Verstappen third. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and four-time F1 champion Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel were among five drivers eliminated after getting stuck behind slower cars.
Verstappen’s fans cheered again when he finished on top of Q2 ahead of Leclerc.
“They were going crazy when I was crossing the line,” Verstappen said. “It’s unbelievable to see so much orange.”
A red flag came out minutes before the end of that session when Williams driver George Russell – who is said to drive for Mercedes next year – slid off the track and into some gravel.
“I pushed it too hard into the last corner,” Russell told his team over the radio. “Sorry for that.”
Moments after the restart of Q2, another red flag came out when Williams driver Nicholas Latifi lost control and hit a tire wall.
Earlier, Verstappen had the fastest time in the third and final practice, ahead of Bottas and Hamilton.
Ferrari managed Sainz Jr.’s car just in time for qualifying when it slid sideways off the track at high-speed Turn 3 and ran into a crash barrier about 20 minutes into the session.
The P3 saw McLaren driver Lando Norris and Haas driver Mick Schumacher driving into the gravel, while Leclerc made a late evasive action when turning sharply left to avoid two cars.
The race has returned to Zandvoort and the Netherlands for the first time since 1985. About 65,000 fans were packed into stands which were at 67% capacity due to coronavirus restrictions. Everyone had to show the Corona pass to go inside.
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