Lando Norris secured pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, surging past George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in qualifying. Norris described the lap as the "best lap of my life," apparently in reference to how the car was not at its best.
Norris's pace and control
Norris's pace and control was quite something, doubly so since he had railed against how much the car was struggling for pace after he managed only third in the sprint race on Saturday, which was won by Russell.
McLaren's development and title fight
For Norris this was another affirmation that he has not yet surrendered his title and that McLaren can still be in the fight with Mercedes, notably after he also took pole and victory at the last round in Hungary. Their car development has been ferocious and, most importantly, effective, including another swathe of developments brought here, fulfilling the expectations of the team principal, Andrea Stella, whose calm assurance at the helm has been a striking piece of management as the team adjusted to the new regulations.
