Max Verstappen is lurking, but Lando Norris will start up front at the Dutch Grand Prix
This week McLaren brought a host of upgrades to the Dutch Grand Prix, their first big set of improvements to the MCL38 since the Miami Grand Prix.
Lando Norris captured his maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix victory that week, and if Saturday is any indication, he is on a path to secure his second F1 Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris turned in a dominant performance on Saturday during qualifying, taking pole position ahead of his friend and the man he is chasing for the F1 Drivers’ Championship, Max Verstappen.
“An amazing day, nice to be back and start with a pole,” said Norris to Jolyon Palmer trackside after qualifying. “The car was feeling amazing, we’ve got some upgrades on the car for the first time in a while, and everything’s working really well and a big thanks to the team.”
Of course, Norris has been here before. This is the third time he has taken pole position for a Grand Prix this season, after doing so at the Spanish Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, at both races Norris failed to hold on to the lead for the lead for the first lap. This is something Palmer hinted at trackside.
“I’m excited for tomorrow, I’m sure it’s going to be tough,” said Norris in response to a question about the run into Turn 1, which is shorter than usual at Zandvoort. “Max has been quick all weekend, I know we got him today but he’s still second and he’s going to be putting up a good fight, especially at his home race, but I’m looking forward to it.”
That opening lap may be a pivotal moment in this F1 season. If Norris can hold onto the lead on Lap 1, it will be another marker in this impressive campaign from him and McLaren, who will see Oscar Piastri start behind Norris in P3.
And if Norris can go on to convert this pole position into a victory?
That could be the biggest win of all for him, and McLaren.
Here are the full qualifying results from a thrilling day at Zandvoort, as well as some more winners and losers:
QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 24, 2024
Superb from Lando Norris #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/rTTORnbNd3
In the topsy-turvy world that is F1 in 2024, a second-place result for Max Verstappen in qualifying can truly be classified as a win for him.
While the McLarens looked strong all week ahead of qualifying, splitting the duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri might have been the best possible result. That will give Verstappen a chance at grabbing the lead from Norris on the opening lap, and a chance at denying McLaren the front-row lockout they are seeking at Zandvoort.
Verstappen seemed to hint at such in his comments trackside after qualifying.
“I tried the best I could, I’m still very happy to be on the front row,” said Verstappen to Jolyon Palmer trackside after Q3. “I’m happy with second. I think after yesterday, this is a good result.”
Asked about his chances of winning tomorrow, Verstappen did his best to manage expectations.
“We’ll give it a good go,” said Verstappen, “but I think we have to be realistic.”
Verstappen has two goals over the remainder of the season: Hold on to P1 in the Drivers’ Championship and do everything he can to deny McLaren a true shot at the Constructors’ Championship.
While he did not capture pole position at Zandvoort, a P2 result on Saturday is a good start.
Sauber’s painful streak looks to continue.
At the moment, Sauber is the only team yet to score a single point this F1 season. Any hopes of the team breaking that ignominious streak took a serious beating on Saturday, with both Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas failing to advance to Q2. Bottas finished in P18 in Q1, with Zhou behind him in P19.
Only Logan Sargeant’s failure to take to the track prevented Sauber from locking out the back row of the field.
Haas was the last team to finish the year without scoring a single point, back in the 2021 season. Time is running out on Sauber as they look to avoid the same fate.
A year ago in Zandvoort Alexander Albon stormed to the front of the field in qualifying, putting his FW45 on the second row with a P4 performance.
While he could not quite match that result on Saturday, Albon stormed into Q3 and put his upgraded FW46 into P8, his best qualifying performance of the entire 2024 F1 season.
It was also just the fourth time Albon has advanced to Q3 this year.
As we will see in a moment things were much tougher on the other side of the garage for Williams, but with the team languishing down in ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship standings, seven points behind eight-place Alpine, every positive result counts.
And this was a very positive result for Albon and Williams.
Now we head to the other side of the garage ...
Saturday’s third and final practice session at Zandvoort saw a red flag in the closing moments, as Logan Sargeant spun into the barrier at Turn 5. While the Williams driver was able to walk away from the shunt, the rear of his Williams FS46 caught fire, creating a dangerous moment for Sargeant.
The damage to the FW46 was too much for the team to overcome, as Sargeant was unable to participate in qualifying on Saturday.
This comes at a critical juncture in Sargeant’s motorsport career. With Carlos Sainz Jr. coming to Williams next season, Sargeant is looking for his next stop in motorsports. Might that be IndyCar with Prema, the organization he once drove for in F2? Or might that be somewhere else?
Either way, this accident put Williams behind the eight ball, as noted by Team Principal James Vowles. “There’s hundreds of hours spent on the update, it looks like it’s working, but there’s few of them in the world,” he told Sky Sports F1. “Really, the worst time is when you’ve just introduced it with small amounts of bits and put it into the wall at the circuit.”
How about a few words about Aston Martin?
This has been a rather quiet season for Aston Martin, as they find themselves mired in the middle of the F1 field. They currently sit fifth in the F1 standings, 39 points ahead of sixth-place VCARB, and under no serious challenge for that position.
However, Mercedes is a whopping 193 points clear of them in fourth place, and Aston Martin looks unlikely to make up that ground over the final ten races of the 2024 F1 season.
Still, Saturday was a strong result for Aston Martin, who saw both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll advance into Q3. When the checkered flag flew it was Alonso up in P7, and Stroll in P9. That result gives Aston Martin a chance to bring home a double points result on Sunday, something they have done just four times this season.
Earlier this week Daniel Ricciardo addressed his uncertain F1 future. “I have every opportunity in front of me and that’s the beauty, it’s up to me,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1 on Thursday. “Yes, there is always pressure from myself, and that of the Red Bull system, but I know if I do a job, I will have a seat and somewhere to race.”
His Dutch Grand Prix got off to a rocky start.
Ricciardo finished 16th in Q1, bringing his qualifying session to an end before Q2 began. He’ll start at the back of the field, on a track where it is historically difficult to make up significant ground given the tight and twisty layout at Zandvoort.
And with Liam Lawson continually looming in the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team garage, it might be time to start wondering if Ricciardo’s time is running out.
Lewis Hamilton entered the Dutch Grand Prix on a high note, with a run of three straight podiums and a pair of victories. While his win at Spa came via a disqualification to teammate George Russell, and a promotion up to P1 after crossing the line second, his win at Silverstone came wholly on merit.
However, points might be tough to come by Sunday at Zandvoort, let alone a fourth straight podium finish. Hamilton, after finishing fifth in Q1, only managed a P12 in Q2, bringing his qualifying to a close.
It was just the third time all season Hamilton was eliminated in Q2.
