Lando Norris turns McLaren reset into Dutch GP pole

Lando Norris put McLaren on pole for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort with a 1:11.163 lap, beating George Russell by 0.102 seconds after small setup changes transformed a disappointing sprint into the best grid slot for Sunday.

The turnaround came in a tense Q3 as light rain threatened the end of qualifying. Norris had already put himself in the fight on the opening runs, then had to respond when Kimi Antonelli briefly moved ahead on the final attempts. He did exactly that, reclaiming top spot before Russell split the McLaren and Mercedes battle to take second, with Antonelli ending up third.

That result looked unlikely only a few hours earlier. Norris had started the 24-lap sprint from second but could not pressure Russell for the lead, then lost another place to Charles Leclerc on lap 18 and finished third. Afterward, he said McLaren simply did not have the pace, particularly through the slow corners, and made clear the car in sprint trim would not be enough.

McLaren reacted between sessions, and Norris said the gain was more about feel than outright lap time. The McLaren driver said after qualifying: “We had to try something because what we had before wasn't going to be enough.” He added: “We made some small changes, nothing that was going to make us gain two tenths or one tenth even, but enough to maybe give me a little bit more confidence.”

That confidence mattered at Zandvoort. Norris admitted he was “a little surprised” by pole and called it “just a decent lap,” but said the closeness of the session meant he had to commit fully. “On a track like Zandvoort, you need good confidence in the car, and you want to attack a lot,” he said, adding that he felt he could do that more in qualifying and that “it paid off.” He also credited the team for a “good turnaround” after a difficult start to the day.

The pole gives Norris momentum again after also qualifying first in Hungary before the summer break, and it is his second pole at Zandvoort after he converted the same position into victory here in 2024. It also puts McLaren in the strongest position for what multiple reports described as Formula 1’s final Dutch Grand Prix at the circuit.