Norris surprises at Zandvoort and takes pole position

Lando Norris secured pole position for the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen with an impressive final lap. This qualifying session, marked by a rapidly evolving track after rain in the previous session, was a challenge for all drivers as they struggled to find the right grip.

Norris, driving his McLaren, dominated Q3 from the start. His first fast lap of 1m10.074s put him at the top, temporarily surpassing his teammate Oscar Piastri and Verstappen. However, the Dutch driver quickly responded, significantly improving his time with a strong performance in the middle sector, setting a 1m10.029s.

Despite Verstappen's efforts, Norris managed to excel in the final sector, combining precision and speed to set a time of 1m09.673s, the only driver to break the 1m10s barrier. This pushed Verstappen to second place by 0.356s.

Oscar Piastri, who also showed competitive pace, could not improve on his second attempt and finished third, 0.499s behind his teammate. George Russell secured fourth place for Mercedes, followed by Sergio Perez in fifth and Charles Leclerc in sixth as the best-placed Ferrari driver.

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll adopted a different strategy in Q3, as they only had one set of new tires for the final segment. Alonso finished in seventh place, while Stroll was ninth, with Alex Albon interspersing between them and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10.

The session also had its surprises in the earlier stages. Lewis Hamilton, who failed to progress beyond Q2, finished in 12th place, just behind Carlos Sainz, who couldn't advance due to mechanical issues and lack of running on soft tires. Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hulkenberg, and Kevin Magnussen were the other drivers eliminated in this phase.

In Q1, Sergio Perez's intervention was key, jumping from the elimination zone with a second attempt after being blocked by Hamilton on his first fast lap. This maneuver relegated Daniel Ricciardo to an early exit. Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu were also out in this phase, with Bottas and Zhou finishing their efforts before the others, which prevented them from improving their times.

Logan Sargeant did not participate in qualifying due to damage sustained to his car after a crash in the final free practice session.