Norris secures pole in Zandvoort ahead of Verstappen and Piastri

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands — Lando Norris delivered a standout performance in qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, claiming a pole position with a lap time that left the competition in his wake. The McLaren driver set a blistering 1m 09.673s, finishing more than three-tenths of a second clear of Max Verstappen, who will start second at his home race.

After taking provisional pole during the early runs of Q3, Norris improved on his time with a flawless final lap. Verstappen briefly held the top spot but was eventually pushed down to second, finishing 0.356s adrift of the British driver. The session also marked a strong showing for McLaren as Norris' teammate, Oscar Piastri, secured third place, making it a double top-three start for the team.

Behind the top three, George Russell led Mercedes' charge with a solid fourth-place finish. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who has struggled in recent weekends, bounced back to take fifth position, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who will start sixth.

Fernando Alonso continued to showcase Aston Martin’s pace, qualifying seventh, while Williams’ Alex Albon impressed with an eighth-place finish. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.

The second qualifying session saw a few notable names bow out early, as Carlos Sainz failed to make it through, leaving him in 11th place for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton, after a difficult session, was eliminated in 12th for Mercedes and faces a post-session investigation for a potential impeding incident with Perez during Q1.

Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda finished 13th, followed by the Haas duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, who ended up 14th and 15th, respectively.

Q1 brought further drama as Daniel Ricciardo, driving for Red Bull, found himself knocked out in 16th. He was joined by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in 17th and the Alfa Romeo pair of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, who finished 18th and 19th.

Logan Sargeant, who suffered a heavy crash in FP3, was unable to take part in qualifying, leaving the Williams driver in 20th place on the grid.

With Norris on pole and Verstappen starting just behind him, Sunday’s race promises to be an exciting showdown in Zandvoort.

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