Norris beats Russell to pole in Dutch hat-trick for McLaren

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands, Aug 22 : Formula One champion Lando Norris beat Mercedes title contenders George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to earn McLaren a third successive Dutch Grand Prix pole position on Saturday.

The pole, with drivers scrambling to get their laps in before forecast rain at the seaside Zandvoort circuit, was also the second in a row for Norris after he won in Hungary from the top slot before the August break.

Norris now has a great chance to win on Sunday, given that the driver on pole has always won the Dutch round ever since it returned to the calendar in 2021 following a 34-year absence.

Sunday's race will be the last in that sequence, with Zandvoort's old-school layout dropping off the calendar for the foreseeable future.

HAD TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The Briton said Mercedes-powered McLaren had made setup changes after he finished third in the sprint won by Russell. 

"We had to try something because what we had before wasn't going to be enough," he said.

"So we made some small changes, nothing that wasn't going to make us gain two tenths or one tenth even, but enough to maybe give me a bit more confidence."

Norris had set the provisional best time of one minute 11.344 seconds and put pole out of reach with a 1:11.163.

Russell ended up 0.102 slower and Antonelli, the championship leader who had briefly gone top with his second effort, was 0.133 off the pace.

"I thought we had it in there to fight for pole, but I’m pretty satisfied with P2, especially going back after such a tough last few races before the break, sort of get in my groove again and try to fight with them tomorrow," Russell said.

Antonelli felt a mistake on his final run had also cost him a couple of tenths, a critical amount in such a close