Lando Norris Takes Pole for F1's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort
Key Takeaways
- •Lando Norris will start the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position after out-qualifying Mercedes drivers George Russell and standings leader Kimi Antonelli at Zandvoort.
- •Norris finished third in Saturday's sprint race, losing out to winner George Russell and Charles Leclerc, and said he expects another difficult race due to struggles in low-speed corners.
- •Kimi Antonelli extended his championship lead despite placing fourth in the sprint, as closest challenger Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in the sprint and qualified fifth for the Grand Prix.
- •Antonelli holds a 56-point advantage over Russell in the standings, with gaps of 79 points to Leclerc and 90 points to Norris.
- •Norris arrives at Zandvoort seeking a second straight Grand Prix victory, having won the most recent race in Hungary on July 26.
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during the sprint race at the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Netherlands, Aug. 22. (AP-Yonhap)
ZANDVOORT, Netherlands — Lando Norris will chase another Formula 1 victory as he heads into Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix from pole position, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli lining up close behind.
McLaren's Norris found some unexpected extra pace in qualifying to snatch the top spot ahead of the Mercedes pair of Russell and standings leader Antonelli, giving him a strong starting point at a circuit where passing can be difficult and track position often matters.
Despite similarities to Hungary, where Norris won the most recent Grand Prix on July 26, it may not be plain sailing for the defending champion at the seaside Dutch circuit.
Norris was off the pace in Saturday's sprint race, where he started second but finished third after losing out to Charles Leclerc, and he said after qualifying that he expected another difficult race.
"In low-speed (corners) we just really still struggle too much to be confident about everything. We definitely made a little bit of progress, but it's still going to be on the trickier side of things tomorrow," Norris said, adding that running in qualifying with "new tires, low fuel, it just seems to mask quite a few of our issues."
Russell won Saturday's sprint at Zandvoort, but Antonelli still extended his standings lead to 53 points despite placing fourth, because his closest challenger, Lewis Hamilton, could only manage seventh in the sprint. Hamilton's troubled day continued as he qualified fifth for the Grand Prix.
Antonelli now holds a 56-point advantage over Russell, with gaps of 79 points to Leclerc and 90 to Norris.
