Despite pole, Norris continues to be wary of Verstappen at Zandvoort

The pilot McLaren led the session with authority, setting the best time in Q3 with almost four tenths ahead of a Max Verstappen which was until then unbeatable on “its” Zandvoort route. The three-time world champion had in fact achieved pole position and won the Dutch Grand Prix every year since the return of the race to the calendar, in 2021. This time, it is certainly an orange driver who is on pole, but not the one the crowd would have hoped for! Logically, after this fourth pole position in F1, Norris was happy when he got off his car.

“It’s an incredible day, it’s great to get back on track and do it with a pole position. It was a nice lap, qualifying went well, and it was important to have a good lap at the end of the session. The team did a very good job, I’m happy with this day”, he declared on the microphone of Jolyon Palmer, for the international signal of Formula 1.

Developments that seem to work well

While the conditions have been difficult since the start of the weekend in the Netherlands, with rain and a lot of wind, the Briton mastered all the elements to complete a clean lap, and by far the fastest. Something that seems simple from the outside, but it's not that simple, especially since McLaren brought new developments this weekend. Performing well on paper, they also seem to show good things once put to the test on the track.

“It’s harder than it looks to be honest. It's quite tricky here, and at each turn you have to know what to expect and whether you can attack a little more or not. It’s our job, it’s not easy, but that’s what we’re here for! I felt confident today, the car was superb to drive, we brought in upgrades for the first time in quite a while, and they seem to be working well. »

Finally, while he is not used to converting his pole positions into victories or even a first lap led, Norris expects a good battle with Max Verstappen, who will start alongside him on the front row. “I don’t see why you say that! », he replied to Palmer who told him that a shorter straight line before the first turn could give him an advantage. “I can't wait for Sunday, it will be difficult, Max is really fast here, I know we beat him today, but he is still second and he will fight, especially in front of all his fans . »

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