Zandvoort – Q1: Matteo Cairoli steals pole from Vermeulen

Arrived in DTM This year, Italian Matteo Cairoli didn't have to wait long to make his mark on the championship, securing pole position on his third attempt during Q1 of the second round of the 2026 season at Zandvoort. The rider of the Classic Ferrari for sale Emil Frey Racing's No. 14 is the only driver to have gone below the 1:33 mark, in 1:32.974, ahead of his teammate Thierry Vermeulen by just under two tenths.

At home, the protégé of Max Verstappen held pole position for a long time, but ultimately had to concede defeat. Lucas Auer is third on the Mercedes Benz Number 22, having earned a point in qualifying, brings him within six points of championship leader Maro Engel, who qualified eighth for this afternoon's race. The only French driver on the grid, Jules Gounon, will start from sixth in his number 48 Mercedes.

The session was marked by a lengthy red flag in the opening minutes, following a problem with Kelvin van der Linde's BMW #3. The South African driver lost oil from turn 7 onwards on his out lap, and it took over twenty minutes to clean the track. Held responsible for the red flag, van der Linde automatically lost his fastest qualifying time, and having failed to set a truly fast lap, he will start last in this third race of the season, which will take place on a particularly hot Zandvoort circuit, with temperatures expected to reach nearly 30°C at the time of the race, which starts at 13:30 pm.

DTM 2026 – Zandvoort
Qualifying standings 1

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