Dutch GP: Lando Norris hoping for 'magic' in Zandvoort race after losing out on pole to Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri turned around the practice formbook to beat Lando Norris to pole in Zandvoort; Norris is pessimistic over his chances in Sunday's race; watch Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix live at 2pm, with build-up from 12.30pm, on Sky Sports F1
Sunday 31 August 2025 07:09, UK
Lando Norris believes he will need "some magic" to beat his McLaren team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri in Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix after narrowly losing the pair's battle for pole position in qualifying.
Norris, who trails Piastri by nine points in a clear two-horse race for the drivers' title with 10 races of the season remaining, had established himself as the clear favourite for pole at Zandvoort after topping all three practice sessions.
The Brit appeared to maintain an edge in the early stages of qualifying, but when it mattered most, Piastri found something extra to pip Norris by 12 thousandths of a second on their first runs in Q3.
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With neither driver able to improve on their second runs in the challenging gusty conditions, Piastri goes into Sunday's race with an unexpected opportunity to extend his advantage.
Norris told Sky Sports F1: "It's a little bit frustrating, especially on a track where it's pretty much impossible to overtake.
"And especially because it's my team-mate, there's not a lot I can do on strategy tomorrow.
"So, pretty stuck with probably where I am, but there's opportunities. It's a long race, the weather could play a part, and I can still try to get the best start in the world, so we'll wait and see.
"Today was my best chance. I missed out, and I'll have to make do with what I've got tomorrow."
At last year's race in Zandvoort Norris claimed pole but lost the lead to Max Verstappen at the start, before overtaking the Red Bull and sealing a dominant victory.
Asked whether that experience gave him confidence, Norris cast further doubt over his chances.
"I mean, no offence to Max - he was in a much slower car last year, so that helps a lot," Norris said.
"Oscar's in a much quicker car this year and the hardest guy to normally overtake is your team-mate, especially when in a qualy like today where we were split by one hundredth.
"It's going to take some magic, some good strategy or incredible tyre saving or something. But it's normally pretty difficult to overtake in the first place. It's even harder to do that behind your team-mate. So, I'll see what I can dream of tonight."
Piastri: Race won't be over at the first corner
Piastri countered Norris' claims by telling Sky Sports F1 that he expects anything but a "straightforward" afternoon.
In addition to his expectation that strategy will play a role with a softer tyre allocation than last year potentially having an impact, Piastri is wary of the threat of rain on the North Sea coastline.
He said: "We'll have to wait and see. The tyres are softer than last year, so there's potential for two stops.
"We saw some people do two stops last year as well. I don't think it's going to be straightforward.
"There's some weather around as well, so we'll see what that does.
"I certainly don't think it's going to be a boring, whoever's leading at Turn 1 is going to win, kind of race. I think there's going to be a lot more to it."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella agreed with Piastri's assessment as he predicted that "many variables" will ensure an interesting battle between his drivers.
"I think the intense battle is going to be a trait that we will see until the end," Stella told Sky Sports F1. "This is good for the sport, this is good racing, it makes racing entertaining.
"It's not only going to be about the start. I think it's overall going to be like we saw in Hungary, even about the strategy and the pace.
"Many variables, including the weather. We will see tomorrow."
Villeneuve: Strategy element complicated for McLaren
Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve believes that Piastri's potential priority status in terms of strategy is likely to make it difficult for Norris to claim a fourth victory in the last five races.
Whichever driver is in front approaching the first round of pit stops will be prioritised by McLaren's strategists.
Villeneuve pointed out that the driver running second, which is more likely to be Norris given their starting positions, could lose out to Verstappen if McLaren can only immediately respond to Red Bull's strategic choices with their leading driver.
Villeneuve said: "When you look behind, they weren't eight tenths of a second ahead of everyone. Everyone got closer.
"Does that mean that the strategies in the race, one of the McLaren drivers will have to cover Verstappen, for example?
"That's the difficultly when it's two team-mates fighting. When you're fighting another team, you just play an open strategy.
"When it's two team-mates, the one who's leading the race out of the two has the first choice on strategy. It's a little bit complicated."
Sky Sports F1's Dutch GP schedule
Sunday August 31
9.35am: F1 Academy Race 2
10.50am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Dutch GP build-up
2pm: The DUTCH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Dutch GP reaction
Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
