ZANDVOORT (Netherlands), Aug 25 — McLaren driver Lando Norris yesteday claimed a stunning pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, pipping local favourite Max Verstappen into second in a thrilling qualifying session affected by strong gusts.

The British driver registered the fastest lap in one minute 9.673 seconds, ahead of Verstappen’s Red Bull who clocked 1min 10.029sec in windy and damp conditions at the Zandvoort circuit on the Dutch coast.

“An amazing day. I’m excited for tomorrow but I know it’s going to be tough,” said Norris.

The qualifying battle came down to the wire, as Verstappen sent his orange army of Dutch fans into raptures by claiming the fastest time with less than a minute left.

But Norris stormed back just seconds later to nick the fourth pole position of his career and break the home fans’ hearts.

“We lacked a bit of pace. I’m still happy to be on the front row. It’s tricky out there with the wind,” said Verstappen.

“I’m happy with second. I think after yesterday, this was a good result,” added the 26-year-old.

Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri will start in third place ahead of George Russell from Mercedes in fourth and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull in fifth.

But there was major disappointment for Russell’s teammate, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was eliminated after the second round of qualifying, as was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Hamilton’s day then went from bad to worse as he was hit with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Perez in the first qualifying session, dropping him to 14th on the grid.

And Williams’ endured a troubled Saturday at the seaside too.

First Logan Sargeant smashed his car in third practice, then teammate Alex Albon, who had secured eighth place in qualifying, had his time disqualified, relegating him to the rear of Sunday’s grid.

The London-based Thai’s Williams was found to be in breach of the technical regulations with an issue to the floor of his heavily updated car.

Verstappen’s double century

Verstappen will be competing in his 200th Grand Prix on Sunday but things have not gone his way so far this race weekend.

He has won all three races held in the Netherlands since it was re-established on the circuit in 2021 and always started on pole.

But he trailed in fifth during practice, complaining his Red Bull was lacking speed, with no clear path to improving performance.

After winning 19 races on a cruise to the 2023 world championship, Verstappen took seven of the first 10 in 2024, leaving many fearing a similar procession this year.

But he has suffered a lean spell by his own standards, without a win in the last four races—his longest winless stretch since 2020.

“If you look at the last seven races, it’s just been a bit more difficult for us,” said Verstappen, admitting there was no “magic switch” to reassert his dominance.

“We are trying to understand, we are trying to just improve the situation.”

Verstappen said it would be “very tricky” in Sunday’s race to close the pace gap that Norris has shown so far in Zandvoort.

“It seems like Lando’s a bit happier in general, which is the driving and how he feels. I’m a bit all over the place,” said the Dutchman.

‘We felt comfortable’

Verstappen nevertheless enjoys a 78-point lead in the drivers’ championship over closest rival Norris, who has admitted he faces an uphill climb to overhaul the Dutchman.

“I felt good all the way through qualifying, honestly. The car’s been strong all weekend. We felt comfortable. We felt strong,” Norris told reporters after qualifying.

Earlier in the day, a violent crash by Williams driver Sargeant on a wet track had restricted the final practice session to a mere 16 minutes.

But the famously unpredictable Dutch seaside weather changed again for the afternoon qualifying three hours later, with hazy sunshine initially drying out the track.

The wind however continued to play a major part, with several drivers complaining that powerful gusts made the corners especially difficult to negotiate. — AFP