McLaren’s Lando Norris boldly brought some vigour to the fight for pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix only for Max Verstappen to reassert himself for his home race with disarming ease. The hordes of orange-clad fans had expected nothing else but briefly it was the papaya-liveried McLaren that threatened an upset at Zandvoort until Verstappen delivered another utterly dominant lap for pole, prompting Norris to observe with a tinge of resignation that the world champion was on another level.
After opening on a wet track, by the final session the sun had emerged above the sand dunes and a clear dry line called for slick tyres. Having seen off the worst conditions, it was a straight head to head on this challenging track. Norris set the initial pace on the first hot runs, with 1min 12.049sec that Verstappen could not match on his opening quick lap.
Had Verstappen finally met his match at his home race? The tension only ratcheted up as the crowd had to wait for a denouement as the session was stopped again when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc went off at turn nine.
After the delay, one final flying lap would decide the day and Verstappen absolutely flew. Almost as if every previous run had merely been a sighter for this ultimate piece of precision execution, he was quickest in sector one and two and went a full second and half quicker than his previous time. For all of Norris’s efforts the Briton could not match him and was ultimately more than half a second back from the Dutchman, a crushing run from the world champion with a 1:10.567 lap.
After a season with eight poles and 10 wins, there is a sense from the rest of the grid this is now the expectation. That if there is to be an upset it will come only from a Verstappen error and such is his form, the hen’s teeth comparison is being bandied around.
Certainly, Norris’s sober judgment on the race will not fill F1’s owners with joy. “I will challenge him for probably two laps and then he will drive away,” he said. “I’m going to give it a try in the race but Max is always on another level when it comes to a Sunday.”
There seems little doubt he will simply drive away and with it equal a remarkable record. Victory would be his ninth consecutive win this season, equalling Sebastian Vettel’s tally with Red Bull in 2013. Verstappen has not been defeated since the Miami GP in early May, while Red Bull have yet to be beaten all season and remain in contention to deliver a clean sweep of wins.
Vettel, it transpires, had already been in touch wishing Verstappen well and quite rightly noting that he thought he was all but unbeatable.
“After five wins in a row Seb texted me and said: ‘Well done, keep it up, you are going to do it’,” said Verstappen. “Nine wins in a row is very impressive and I never thought I would even win eight.
“If it is possible tomorrow I will go for it but it’s not something I have in the back of my mind that I need to do this. I am not in this sport to break records but to win in the moment.”
Verstappen has superb form at his home grand prix having won from pole here at both races since the meeting returned to the calendar in 2021 so it seems in this moment the win is almost certainly his, as is the season. He leads his teammate, Sergio Pérez, by 125 points and could clinch the title as early as the Japanese grand prix at the end of September.
There was disappointment for Lewis Hamilton, however, as the British driver, who had been enjoying good form over the weekend, was knocked out in Q2 in 13th place. He said his tyres had overheated during his final quick laps and was unable to improve his time but was hopeful of moving through the field on Sunday.
His Mercedes teammate, George Russell, was third, while Alex Albon was a superb fourth for Williams.
Fernando Alonso was fifth for Aston Martin. Pérez was seventh for Red Bull, Oscar Piastri eighth, Carlos Sainz and Leclerc were sixth and ninth for Ferrari and Logan Sargeant finished in 10th place.
Lance Stroll was 11th for Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly 12th for Alpine, Yuki Tsunoda was 14th for AlphaTauri but will take a three-place penalty for impeding Hamilton and Nico Hülkenberg 15th for Haas. Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas were 16th and 19th for Alfa Romeo. Esteban Ocon in 17th for Alpine and Kevin Magnussen in 18th for Haas.
Liam Lawson, the 21-year-old New Zealander making his competitive F1 debut in place of Daniel Ricciardo, who broke a bone in a hand in an accident on Friday, made a solid effort for AlphaTauri in a car he has never driven before, finishing in 20th. He is a reserve driver for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri and is currently competing in Super Formula in Japan. He has previously taken part in F1 practice sessions.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
