McLaren’s Lando Norris dominates Dutch Grand Prix to fire F1 world title warning at Max Verstappen

A dominant performance from Lando Norris has signalled the race for the world championship is on, with the Brit allowing himself a cheeky jab at Max Verstappen as he crossed the finish line.

Race-winner Lando Norris alongside second placed Max Verstappen. Picture: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

McLaren’s Lando Norris stormed to victory at the Dutch Grand Prix Sunday, a superb drive consigning home favourite Max Verstappen to his first-ever loss in front of his “Orange Army” fans.

The British driver claimed his second career chequered flag after winning in Miami in May, closing Verstappen’s lead over him in the world championship to 70 points, with the Dutchman coming second.

Despite raucous encouragement from a packed Zandvoort circuit, Verstappen could not extract enough from his Red Bull to compete with a recently upgraded McLaren that is beginning to look like the car to beat in Formula One.

While Norris said it was too soon to dream of a world title chase, he is adamant McLaren will continue to be regular race winners.

Race-winner Lando Norris alongside second placed Max Verstappen. Picture: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

“It feels amazing... The pace was very strong and the car was unbelievable today,” said Norris, who also secured a point for the fastest lap.

“100 percent,” replied Norris when asked if he had the quickest package available to him.

Recent upgrades to the car have played a part in making it more competitive. “Simply lovely,” said a cheeky Norris as he crossed the line, copying a phrase Verstappen has used many times when taking the chequered flag.

The start was critical. Questions have been asked of the starting ability of Norris, who has three times this season failed to convert pole position into a first lap lead.

And again Norris was sluggish off the line, allowing Verstappen to power around the outside to huge cheers from the crowd, who saw their man take a 0.9-second advantage into the second lap.

Buoyed by the fast start, Verstappen clocked the quickest lap in lap two, putting clear daylight between him and the McLaren of Norris.

Lando Norris: ‘Simply lovely.’ Picture: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

But the McLaren had been the fastest car in the paddock all race weekend and Norris started slowly but surely eating into Verstappen’s lead.

By lap 17 out of 72, Norris was only a few tenths of a second behind Verstappen, the Dutchman complaining on his team radio of a lack of grip from his tyres.

Norris passed him a lap later on the outside at turn one, Verstappen powerless to prevent the overtake and quickly falling further behind.

“I can’t go faster. The car is not responding to my inputs,” a desperate Verstappen told his engineers as Norris stretched his advantage to more than four seconds.

On lap 25, Verstappen decided enough was enough and he needed a new set of tyres.

Norris pitted the lap after, his team taking 0.6 seconds longer than the Red Bull for the pit stop.

Nevertheless, Norris emerged from the two stops five seconds ahead of his rival and promptly produced the fastest lap of the race on his new set of tyres.

By lap 40, Norris had extended the advantage to more than 10 seconds over the three-time champion and just had to stay out of trouble to take the chequered flag.

His eventual margin of victory was 22.896 seconds, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc holding off Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to claim the third podium spot after a thrilling battle.

Max Verstappen cut a frustrated figure at his home grand prix. Picture: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Red Bull’s struggling second driver Sergio Perez finished in sixth position, meaning the gap in the constructors’ championship also narrowed from 42 points to 30.

“I wouldn’t say a perfect race because of lap one again, but afterwards it was beautiful,” said Norris.

“I expected Max to start pushing and get a bit of a gap. And he never did. So from that point, I knew we were in with a good fight,” added Norris.

“But he seemed to just keep dropping off. And my pace was getting better. So it’s a nice feeling inside the car. And especially when I got past, you know, I could just get comfortable.”

The F1 circus now moves on to the famous Monza track in Italy next weekend, round 16 of 24 with everyone snapping at Verstappen’s heels.

Verstappen has not won a Grand Prix since Barcelona in June, his longest barren spell since 2020 and while it is premature to talk of panic stations at Red Bull, the Dutch weekend will have given some cause for concern.

“You always try to do better and we had a good start, we tried everything we could today, but throughout the race it was quite clear that we are not quick enough, so I tried to be second today,” said Verstappen.

Oscar Piastri missed out on a spot on the podium. Picture: Joe Portlock/Getty Images

Verstappen looking for answers as Norris takes pole

McLaren driver Lando Norris on Saturday claimed a stunning pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix, pipping local favourite Max Verstappen into second in a thrilling qualifying session affected by strong gusts.

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.

Lando Norris will start in pole position. Picture: Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP

“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.

Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri will start in third place ahead of George Russell from Mercedes in fourth and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull in fifth. Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo will start 16th after failing to make it out of Q1.

There was major disappointment for Russell’s teammate, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was eliminated after the second round of qualifying, as was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Hamilton’s day then went from bad to worse as he was hit with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Perez in the first qualifying session, dropping him to 14th on the grid.

And Williams’ endured a troubled Saturday at the seaside too. First Logan Sargeant smashed his car in third practice, then teammate Alex Albon, who had secured eighth place in qualifying, had his time disqualified, relegating him to the rear of Sunday’s grid.

Max Verstappen will start his home race from second. Picture: Remko de Waal/AFP

The London-based Thai’s Williams was found to be in breach of the technical regulations with an issue to the floor of his heavily updated car.

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.”

Logan Sargeant was unscathed after crashing his car in practice. Picture: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

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.

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 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.

Originally published as McLaren’s Lando Norris dominates Dutch Grand Prix to fire F1 world title warning at Max Verstappen