Lando Norris clocked the quickest lap in qualifying for Formula 1’s final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort before the race drops off the calendar in 2027.
Norris’ 1:11.163 was enough to seal pole position ahead of the Mercedes pair, putting him 0.102 seconds clear of this morning’s sprint winner George Russell and 0.133 seconds ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Norris had already topped Q2 and was fastest on both of his Q3 runs.
Norris and McLaren made the small adjustments they needed after this morning’s sprint race, where the reigning World Drivers’ Champion slipped back by one place in the 24-lap contest.
“I mean, we had to try something because what we had before was not going to be enough,” Norris told F1TV. “So we made some small changes. Nothing that was going to make us gain two tenths or even one tenth, but enough to maybe give me a little more confidence. And on a track like Zandvoort, you need strong confidence in the car, and you want to attack a lot. So I felt like I could do that more today and it paid off.”
In the final race before the summer break, Norris started from pole at the Hungaroring with both Ferrari drivers acting as a buffer between him and the first Mercedes. This is the first time the McLaren driver will line up with WDC favourite Antonelli directly behind him in third and Russell alongside on the outside.
Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri will start from the second row alongside Antonelli. Behind the Ferraris are Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who make up the third row as McLaren’s mid-season changes begin to create some separation in the constructors’ fight between Ferrari and Mercedes.
Max Verstappen will begin his final home race from seventh, alongside his temporary team-mate Liam Lawson, who is standing in for Isack Hadjar this weekend. Gabriel Bortoletto qualified his Audi in ninth as he looks to score points in his fourth race of the season. Arvid Lindbald was the last driver to progress to Q3 and posted the slowest lap among the remaining ten drivers, leaving him 10th on the grid.
Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, which had qualified in the top ten for the sprint and finished in the points, was the first car to miss out on Q3 and will start 11th alongside Yuki Tsunoda in his first Grand Prix of the 2026 season.
Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon all reached Q2 and will start 12th through 15th respectively.
Albon’s Williams team-mate Carlos Sainz was the quickest of the drivers eliminated in Q1 and will line up 16th alongside his team-mate.
The Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualified ahead of the Haas of Oliver Bearman, who in turn outqualified both Cadillacs, driven by Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
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