Norris takes pole in Zandvoort, outpacing Mercedes

Lando Norris of McLaren claimed pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix at the Zandvoort circuit, setting the fastest time in Saturday's qualifying session. The British driver's performance in Q3 put him ahead of the Mercedes cars, marking his return to the front row in the Netherlands, where he also started first in 2024.

Norris completed the 4.259-kilometer circuit in 1 minute and 11.163 seconds. Historically, starting from pole at Zandvoort has been a strong indicator of victory, with the last five pole-sitters going on to win the race. This includes Norris himself in 2024 and Max Verstappen in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Behind Norris, Mercedes driver George Russell will start second, just 0.102 seconds behind. His teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, qualified third. Oscar Piastri, Norris's McLaren teammate, will start fourth. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will line up fifth and sixth, respectively, with Hamilton having had a track excursion during Q1.

Home favorite Max Verstappen of Red Bull faced a challenging weekend and will start from seventh place. His teammate Liam Lawson will start eighth, filling in for Isack Hadjar. Spanish drivers Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso were eliminated in Q1 and will start 17th and 18th.