See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JONATHAN MCEVOY, SPORTS WRITER AND DAILY MAIL'S MOTOR RACING WRITER Published: 18:12 BST, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 18:13 BST, 22 August 2026
Lando Norris wears No1 on his back and on his car, but it has not seemed that way as often as he would have liked during his title defence.Yet it is from that position he will start the Dutch Grand Prix, just as he did in Budapest three weeks ago, when he won. All of which are signs that his McLaren team might be on a march after upgrades that are confounding a lack of early-season form.This time, as spits and spots of rain hit the resort of Zandvoort, a 30-minute rail ride from Amsterdam, the world champion secured his excellent pole one-tenth of a second ahead of compatriot George Russell.It was, however, a seriously encouraging day for Russell on Formula One’s resumption after the summer break and a number of bumps for him and his lofty expectations of title glory.He, unlike Norris – who is 90 points off the top of the standings – is still contending towards the front of the world championship reckoning. And his hopes were first rejuvenated earlier in the afternoon when he won the sprint race from pole position in a procession he dominated clinically.Points in the sprint are meagre, though. So, by finishing ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who came fourth, Russell only narrowed his deficit to him from 59 points to 56. Big deal, you might say. But it was a major psychological leap when he most needed it. Lando Norris will start the Dutch Grand Prix on pole with signs McLaren are now on the march George Russell earned a boost by qualifying ahead of his team-mate Kimi AntonelliAnd that was before he qualified a place above Antonelli, the Italian wonderkid who is in serious danger of upsetting what was meant to be Russell’s season of fulfilment.Clearly relieved post-qualifying, Russell said: ‘The truth is Kimi has been doing an amazing job. We have different driving styles. It is working well for him and these tyres.‘I’m trying to implement something similar into my driving style. It is like changing your golf swing. You will probably take half a step back first before making improvements.‘The break allowed me to put my learning to the back of my mind, not fixating on what I want to achieve with the car, but still knowing what I need to do and driving more freely.‘In tennis, the racquet is basically the same. The lines are always the same distance apart. This isn’t the way it is in Formula One, so I am pleased with how I have managed to adjust to this year’s regulations.‘I feel very confident going into the race.’Antonelli registered Russell’s green shoots of revival, however tentative they might be for now. ‘It was a very good wake-up call today,’ admitted the 19-year-old. ‘You can never lower your guard.’Norris, who had been downbeat after the sprint, in which he finished third, said: ‘A good turnaround from earlier today, where I felt we struggled. Credit to the team, they did a good job.‘We had to try something because what we had before wasn’t going to be enough. We made some small changes. Enough to give me more confidence. And on a track like Zandvoort you need confidence. You want to attack a lot and I felt I could do that more, so it paid off.Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth for Ferrari, a place behind Norris’s team-mate Oscar Piastri. He never quite seemed in the frame for pole.
