The China Mail - Norris edges Verstappen to take pole for Dutch Grand Prix

The British driver registered the fastest lap in one minute 9.673 seconds, ahead of Verstappen's Red Bull who clocked 1min 10.029sec in windy and damp conditions at the Zandvoort circuit on the Dutch coast.

"An amazing day. I'm excited for tomorrow but I know it's going to be tough," said Norris.

The qualifying battle came down to the wire, as Verstappen sent his orange army of Dutch fans into raptures by claiming the fastest time with less than a minute left.

But Norris stormed back just seconds later to nick the fourth pole position of his career and break the home fans' hearts.

Norris's McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri will start in third place on the grid on Sunday, ahead of George Russell from Mercedes in fourth.

But there was disappointment for Mercedes as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was eliminated after the second round of qualifying, as was Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

Hamilton will start 12th on the grid, with Sainz 11th.

"We lacked a bit of pace. I'm still happy to be on the front row. It's tricky out there with the wind," said Verstappen.

"I'm happy with second. I think after yesterday, this was a good result," added the 26-year-old.

Verstappen will be competing in his 200th Grand Prix on Sunday but things have not gone his way so far this race weekend.

He has won all three races held in the Netherlands since it was re-established on the circuit in 2021 and always started on pole.

But he trailed in fifth during practice, complaining his Red Bull was lacking speed, with no clear path to improving performance.

After winning 19 races on a cruise to the 2023 world championship, Verstappen took seven of the first 10 in 2024, leaving many fearing a similar procession this year.

But he has suffered a lean spell by his own standards, without a win in the last four races -- his longest winless stretch since 2020.

"If you look at the last seven races, it's just been a bit more difficult for us," said Verstappen, admitting there was no "magic switch" to reassert his dominance.

"We are trying to understand, we are trying to just improve the situation."

Verstappen said it would be "very tricky" in Sunday's race to close the pace gap that Norris has shown so far in Zandvoort.

"It seems like Lando's a bit happier in general, which is the driving and how he feels. I'm a bit all over the place," said the Dutchman.

- 'We felt comfortable' -

Verstappen nevertheless enjoys a 78-point lead in the drivers' championship over closest rival Norris, who has admitted he faces an uphill climb to overhaul the Dutchman.

"I felt good all the way through qualifying, honestly. The car's been strong all weekend. We felt comfortable. We felt strong," Norris told reporters after qualifying.

Earlier in the day, a violent crash by Williams driver Logan Sargeant on a wet track had restricted the final practice session to a mere 16 minutes.

But the famously unpredictable Dutch seaside weather changed again for the afternoon qualifying three hours later, with hazy sunshine initially drying out the track.

The wind however continued to play a major part, with several drivers complaining that powerful gusts made the corners especially difficult to negotiate.

"I never really felt comfortable," said Verstappen.

"There were always one or two corners where I felt like I was losing a lot of time. It was just constant wind. It seemed like it was very sensitive for us," he added.

Zandvoort is already notorious for being a difficult track to drive, but the wind made life even trickier, said Norris.

"I just kept doing laps that were mistake-free, not locking up, not doing anything that would make me lose a bit of confidence," said the 24-year-old.

C.Smith--ThChM