Lando Norris secured pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, beating George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to the top spot. It marked the McLaren driver’s second consecutive pole position following the summer break. However, McLaren’s Saturday had not started particularly smoothly. After the sprint, the team made several adjustments to the car’s set-up, and Norris said the changes gave him greater confidence behind the wheel and allowed him to attack the fast corners of Zandvoort more aggressively. Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri qualified fourth, finishing 0.142 seconds behind the pole-sitter.
“I genuinely did not expect us to take pole, but I put together a very strong lap. The competition was extremely close, so I had to push to the absolute limit, because even a few hundredths of a second can make a significant difference on the grid. After the sprint, we carefully analysed the situation and realised that we were lacking some confidence in the car. The team made several adjustments ahead of qualifying, and that noticeably improved the feeling behind the wheel. We are not talking about major changes that would suddenly give us two tenths of a second. We simply made a few adjustments to the set-up, but that was enough to give me greater confidence in the car. At Zandvoort, that is particularly important because you need to be prepared to attack every corner right on the limit. The team did an excellent job, and I am pleased that the changes worked. Now we will see what we can achieve in the race. The atmosphere here is always incredible thanks to the fans. It is a shame that this is the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, so we want to make the most of the final race here and put on a great show for the spectators. Hopefully, everyone can enjoy themselves tomorrow.”
