Norris set for another 'simply lovely' result, or can Verstappen fight back?

Pole position was decided between the two McLaren drivers on Saturday in Zandvoort, with Oscar Piastri marginally outqualifying Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen finished in third place, ahead of Isack Hadjar, who surprisingly set the fourth quickest time.

Looking ahead the two Dutch Grand Prix strategy-wise, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella pointed out a 'powerful weapon' at Verstappen's disposal.

"It will be interesting, not only between the two McLaren drivers, but also with the other drivers. Max, for instance, he has a new soft that he saved from qualifying. And it could be a pretty powerful weapon, if you can deploy this weapon strategically at the right time," the Italian commented.

Lewis Hamilton finished in P7, but the Briton was encouraged with once again being able to make it through to Q3, after he struggles in Belgium and Hungary.

"We're looking for progress and I feel like I have had that this weekend. I've not been in Q3 for some time. So I'm grateful for that," he explained.

Max Verstappen, Gabriel Botoleto and Ollie Bearman participated in the first press conference session. It was there that Verstappen was asked about his chances of winning the race and about how he keeps himself motivated now that his championship chances are gone.

He said, "It's not that hard, to be honest. There will be a time that it won’t happen. Unfortunately, that is a bit the case at the moment. But it doesn’t make sense for me to be frustrated or be screaming about it, because it's just a waste of energy. That’s not what I'm doing. I think we just need to look at the car and the operation, and how we can move forward in the future and be better. That’s what we are doing currently."

In the second session, Lando Norris was asked about how he is going into the second season with him actually in the title fight.

He said, "Of course, it's about the championship, but we do that race by race. Everyone has their own way of saying that and doing it. But everyone takes it race by race, really. We want to win, of course. I always want to get maximum points and make my life easy, but it's never that simple."

It was Lando Norris who managed to win the final Grand Prix hosted before the summer break at the Hungaroring, finishing just ahead of his teammate, Oscar Piastri.

He won the Dutch GP in 2024 as well, and on the team radio, he quoted Max Verstappen's catchphrase 'Simply lovely'.

As things stand, the Australian is still in the lead of the drivers' championship, having a nine-point gap ahead of Norris.

George Russell finished in third place, after Mercedes reverted back to a previous version of their suspension in Hungary. Both him and Kimi Antonelli felt more comfortable, as the Germans are looking to build on that.

Max Verstappen won every edition of the Dutch GP since its return until the previous year. The defending world champion finished in P9 the last Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton was downbeat after Hungarian GP, where he finished outside of the points. The Ferrari driver has now recharged, he shared on social media. Ferrari could also build on Charles Leclerc's pole position at the track near Budapest, and they remain in second place behind McLaren in the constructors' championship.

The Dutch Grand Prix will have the start time of a regular European weekend. See the complete schedule below!

Friday, 29 August

Saturday, 30 August

Sunday, 31 August

In the United Kingdom, the entire weekend will be shown live on Sky Sports F1. The British channel's crew will also host pre- and post-session shows as per usual.

Both on Saturday and Sunday, Channel 4 will also broadcast extended highlights.

In terms of the United States, the Dutch Grand Prix will be shown live on ESPN, which continues its partnership with Formula 1 in 2025.