Norris spoils Dutch party to secure pole position

A dominant effort from Lando Norris rewarded the McLaren driver with pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, spoiling home hero Max Verstappen’s party in the closing stages of a shuffled qualifying session.

Qualifying 1:

With a 40% chance of rain looming in the summer air, drivers were relatively eager to secure a banker lap at the start of Q1, with Nico Hulkenberg leading the charge with a 1:13.062s.

The Haas driver, although reeling in the novelty of the top spot, was soon demoted as the rest of the grid followed suit.

It was Oscar Piastri, however, who rose to the elusive P1 place after the first round of laps had been set.

Although slightly drifting down the order, Piastri’s team looked strong in the opening stages of Q1, momentarily occupying P2 and P3, before forming part of a top four that was separated by less than two-tenths. 

Piastri had no concerns throughout the first 18-minute session, ending in P11 after finding comfort in his early runs and saving a set of tyres. 

Daniel Ricciardo wished he had some comfort during Q1, starting off instantly in doubt for a Q2 appearance as he sat on the edge of the elimination zone.

His second time of 1:12.343s kept him in P15, however, he dropped into the elimination zone ahead of his teammate.

In the dying stages, Ricciardo went earlier than his competitors, a move that left him at a 0.111s margin to a place in Q2.

Ultimately, Ricciardo was knocked out in the very first stage of qualifying, forced to watch his teammate battle for a place in the top ten after Yuki Tsunoda advanced in P12.

As for the rest of the field, the Ferrari drivers were instantly off the pace, sitting behind the likes of Alex Albon and Lance Stroll after their first subpar attempts.

Carlos Sainz’s second tour around the Circuit Zandvoort left him at risk yet again, with the #55 positioned as the driver at risk during the late-Q1 lull.

George Russell was also a worry down in P10, saying he had no grip and was “sliding all over the place”.

The poor runs kept coming for the big names, with Sergio Perez feeling as if he had been impeded by Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton was noted by race control for the incident, insisting that he was as far out of the way as possible. 

Returning to their garages for the usual lull at the five-minute mark, the drivers then revved their way out of the pitlane for one last shot at a place in Q2.

As a result of his earlier blunder, Perez was forced into using an additional set of tyres, a luxury his teammate didn’t need to spend after breezing through the opening session despite grid concerns.

Sainz too made light work of his final run, forgetting about his previous attempts and shooting to the top of the order.

He was soon joined by Charles Leclerc and the former struggler Russell, with those three drivers trailing Q1-benchmark setter Perez as the chequered flag was waved.

Joining Ricciardo in an opening session exit were Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and, expertly not making an appearance after his FP3 fiery crash, Logan Sargeant.

Daniel Ricciardo returns to the pitlane after qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix. Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.

Qualifying 2:

It was purple first, second and third sectors for Piastri’s first run in Q1, with his 1:10.505s just nine-thousandths slower than his teammate.

He returned to the pits shortly after, confident enough with his one and only time to remain there through to the chequered flag. 

Feeling unsure after Q1, Sainz and Leclerc were the first men on track, circulating the Circuit Zandvoort by themselves as rain still hung in the air.

Head-to-head, Leclerc came out over his teammate to record the first Q2 lap time, a 1:11.665s, but as their quicker competitors took their turns, the elimination zone drew the Ferraris in.

Their earlier uncertainties were confirmed in the dying stages of the session, with Carlos Sainz in P10 being knocked out by the man he shares a garage with.

Sainz will start the Dutch Grand Prix from an out-of-position P11, with another big name for company.

Both Mercedes drivers had a calmer start to Q2, starting off within the top five and being separated by the home hero.

The calmness quickly dissipated as the minutes ticked down, however, with Lewis Hamilton fighting for his place after emerging from the pitlane.

One of the last drivers to set off on his lap, it was no surprise that the Mercedes driver had drifted back down the order, however, it was a shock to see his name remaining in P12 as he took the chequered flag.

Sitting one-tenth off P10, Hamilton will start the Dutch Grand Prix in P12, a one-position improvement from his 2023 qualifying result. 

Sneaking through, Alex Albon achieved his team principal’s public expectations of a Q3 appearance, claiming a place in the top ten with other surprise additions including Pierre Gasly and, in fourth fastest, Lance Stroll.

Joining Sainz and Hamilton in a Q2 exit were Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, pulls into the pitlane after being eliminated in qualifying at the Dutch GP. Image: Simon Galloway / LAT Images.

Qualifying 3:

Piastri headed the final charge, clearing all 14 corners with ease to set the time to beat, 1:10.193s; And beat it Norris did, stealing P1 from the Australian by over a tenth.

Max Verstappen’s messy cornering at Turn 13 gave Piastri a bit of breathing room as he slotted into P3, with those of used soft tyres also failing to put pressure on the McLaren duo.

The second half of the remaining field finally joined the session a few minutes later, with Fernando Alonso maximising his run to be the only one to impact the top five.

With two minutes on the clock, the set-up of last-ditch attempts kicked off. 

In front of his home fans, Verstappen was first to jab at pole position, however, his first sector was two-tenths down on Norris. 

He recovered in the middle sector, claiming provisional pole and thrilling the Orange Army before the Brit in the orange car spoiled the party.

Norris came charging through the Circuit Zandvoort, besting his previous lap to secure the front grid slot for tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

The #4 was the only driver to break into the 1m9s, crossing the line over three-tenths quicker than the Red Bull driver to rightfully earn Pole. 

As for his teammate, a yellow middle sector hurt Piastri’s front-row hopes.

The 23-year-old, still finishing within the top three with a time of 1:10.172s, will have George Russell for company as they launch from Row 2. 

Four-tenths was the margin between Sergio Perez and his home hero teammate, with the #11 Red Bull driver only managing P5 beside Charles Leclerc who made the most of the grey day at Ferrari.

Fernando Alonso maxed out his potential on his first run, leaving his final position up to his competitors as he watched on from the garage.

The Aston Martin driver secured P7 by just two hundredths over ALbon, with the Williams car crossing the line one second slower than Norris.

Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten, respectively locking out Row 5 at a larger deficit to the pole-man.

The jumbled order combined with changeable conditions will make for an exciting Dutch Grand Prix, with the 72 laps of racing kicking off at 11:00 PM, Sunday.

Image: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images

Dutch Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

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