Lando Norris is disappointed that he just had to give the pole position to George Russell during the sprint qualifying. The final difference between the two drivers on the front row was only four hundredths of a second. According to Norris, it was ultimately the switch to the soft tire for SQ3 that caused him to just miss the sprint pole: “I am a bit disappointed that I ended up second.”
Read more Sprint race GP Netherlands: George Russell wins first battle at Zandvoort, Max Verstappen P6
The final difference between the sprint pole of George Russell and Lando Norris, who starts the shortened race from second place, was only four hundredths of a second. The McLaren driver was ahead of Russell during SQ1 and SQ2 – when medium tires were mandatory on the cars – but just lost to his compatriot on the soft tire.
“I am quite satisfied, it is still a good position,” Norris said after the session to the media present at Zandvoort. “It was a decent lap, and given how close it was, it could just as well have been first place, but also fourth or fifth.” Ultimately, the entire top four finished within a tenth of a second of each other.
Read more Liam Lawson expected more from first Red Bull sessions: ‘Frustrating’
Soft tires
“So it was a good qualifying,” continued the McLaren driver. “All teams were close together, which was exactly what we expected, but I am a bit disappointed that I ended up second instead of first.” According to Norris, he just missed a bit of speed due to the switch to soft tires for SQ3. “There was probably a bit more grip that I didn’t quite manage to get out of the switch from mediums to soft tires, so I think I maybe just pushed a bit more.”
Read more Starting lineup sprint race GP Netherlands: Russell on pole, Verstappen in pursuit
Read everything about the GP Netherlands in Zandvoort here
