Where Lando Norris narrowly lost to George Russell during the sprint qualifying, the McLaren driver took his revenge in the qualifying for the main race. The Brit set his fast lap, over a tenth quicker than that of his compatriot Russell and enough for pole at Zandvoort, before the rain could arrive over the circuit.
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“It doesn’t get better than this,” says Lando Norris with a broad smile after qualifying. With his pole position, the McLaren driver has the best starting position for the last Dutch GP. “I am a bit surprised. It was just a great lap. I tried to get everything out of the car, because one or two hundredths can already make a difference. It’s just a good turnaround from where we were this morning. Today we definitely felt strong, and the team did a good job.”
The reigning world champion is then asked if his team made many adjustments to the MCL40 for qualifying. “We had to try something, because what we had earlier wouldn’t have been good enough for qualifying,” Norris says honestly. “We made a few small adjustments, which gave me a bit more confidence in the car. And that ultimately paid off in pole.”
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Norris thanks Dutch fans
Finally, Norris also takes a moment to reflect that he is racing the last Dutch GP in Formula 1 on Sunday. “Thank you,” says the Brit in an attempt to speak Dutch. “That’s the only Dutch I know. Hopefully, we can put on a good show and last race at Zandvoort for you tomorrow. Go party now, and enjoy the show tomorrow.”
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Read everything here about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort
