Lando Norris secured pole position at the Dutch Grand Prix ahead of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli after a Q3 disrupted by a few drops of rain.
Read more Lando Norris pessimistic for McLaren at Zandvoort: «There is nothing we can do»
Lando Norris got his revenge on George Russell. Beaten by only 0.041 seconds during the Sprint qualifying on Friday, the McLaren driver this time got the better of Mercedes to claim pole position at the Dutch Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion set a time of 1’11″163 in his final attempt, beating Russell by 0.102 seconds. Kimi Antonelli completes the top 3 at just 0.133 seconds, ahead of Oscar Piastri.
Ferrari failed to get involved in the fight for pole despite the promising pace shown during the Sprint. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished fifth and sixth respectively, while Max Verstappen could do no better than seventh in front of his home crowd.
Norris resists Mercedes and the rain
The main unknown before Q3 was the weather. Rain threatened to arrive in the last minutes, pushing drivers to quickly set a competitive first time.
Norris immediately took the lead with 1’11″344, 0.151 seconds ahead of Russell. Antonelli was then only fifth, while Hamilton was even further back, in eighth position.
A few drops finally started to fall in the last minutes, but the track remained fast enough to allow drivers to improve their times.
Antonelli was the first to strike by temporarily taking pole. His joy was short-lived as Norris immediately responded with his 1’11″163. Russell then slotted between the two men, while Piastri settled in fourth place.
Ferrari still had a chance to respond, but neither Hamilton nor Leclerc were able to get close enough to the leaders.
Read more Lewis Hamilton hopes to transform his Ferrari after a modification that changed everything
Verstappen only seventh at home
The disappointment is also significant for Max Verstappen. Red Bull had taken advantage of the parc fermé reopening after the Sprint to change the settings of the RB22, but it was not enough to allow the Dutchman to return to the front rows.
Verstappen will therefore have to start from seventh position for the last Dutch Grand Prix on the calendar, behind the two Ferraris.
His weekend teammate Liam Lawson had more success compared to expectations. Called up by Red Bull to replace Isack Hadjar, injured in the wrist, the New Zealander managed to reach Q3.
Yuki Tsunoda, who himself replaces Lawson at Racing Bulls, was eliminated in Q2.
Another setback for Aston Martin
The first part of qualifying was mainly marked by another poor performance from Aston Martin. Despite the upgrades brought to the car and the arrival of the new Honda engine, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were both eliminated in Q1.
Alonso could do no better than 18th place, just behind Carlos Sainz. Stroll was also eliminated, as were Oliver Bearman and the two Cadillacs of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
At the front, Norris confirms the return to form of McLaren after his victory in Hungary. Despite the weaknesses of his car in slow corners that he still pointed out after the Sprint, the Briton will have the best possible position on Sunday to try to claim a second consecutive victory.
Read more Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen escape sanction after the Sprint at Zandvoort