A Classic Gust of Wind on the North Holland Coast Seemed Decisive on Saturday in the Battle Between the McLaren Drivers for pole Position for the Dutch Grand Prix. Accordance to Lando Norris, That Wind at Zandvoort Worked Especiate to his Disadvantage.
There was only 0.012 Seconds Between Oscar Piastri’s pole time (and track record) and Norris’ Second Time. “Coming out of the last corner I was still under. But with this wind it really come down to luck. So that was a bit disappointing, because I had a good lap.”
Piastri Confirmed That the Wind in Zandvoort has played a Major Role Throughhout The Weekend. “It Kept Changing. In Corners Where I was Fast Before, It Suddenly Went Less Well. And Vice Versa.”
That the world championship Leader ultimately toy pole was a small surprise. In The Three Free Practice Sessions, Norris had Been the Fastest.
“The middle sector here is still not my favorite,” he smiled. “I had to work hard for it this weekend, step by step. It felt like I needed a lot of Attempts to Improve. But in the end it came out, althegh it was easy to put it all together in one lap.”
‘Apparently I was on the Limit Enough’
Norris was disappointed that the advantage he seemed to have did not pay off in a pole. That was a first blow after the summer break in the Mutual Title Fight. Piastri Still has a narrow lead of nine world championship points.
“Both laps also just felt good, I had the right flow. That’s important here,” he reflected on qualifying. “Losing out by a hundredth, that’s very minimal. But equipmently I was on the limit enough.”
Norris Needs Some Magic
Norris Knows that, just like last year, he needs to overtake at least car to win the racing again. In 2024, The Brit Beat Max Verstappen on the way to what ultimately Became a Dominant Victory. “But Max was Clearly Driving in A Lesser Car then,” Norris Remained Realistic. “Oscar has a fast car, there is Nothing More Difficult than Overtaking your teammate. I need some magic for that.”
That it will be a battle between the McLaren drivers again normal circumstances is Almost Certain. That was already the case for qualifying. That’s why piastri knew it was mainly up to him. “It was down to the car today,” concluded the sober Australian.
The Dutch Grand Prix Starts on Sunday at 3:00 pm.
