Dutch fans lift Norris’s spirit after costly DNF at Zandvoort

After showing strong pace from the practice sessions through to the final lap of Q3, Lando Norris’s Zandvoort weekend took a bitter turn, narrowly missing pole to his teammate by just 0.012 seconds.

On a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, the Englishman was forced to start behind the Aussie and even lost positions to Max Verstappen at the start.

Thanks to the clear superiority of the MCL39 in the race, Norris managed to get past the local favorite after just a few laps, executing a neat outside move at Turn 1 and setting off in pursuit of his teammate in an attempt to reclaim what he had lost in qualifying.

Lando had partially succeeded in his mission, if not for the Mercedes engine in his car failing just a few kilometers from the finish line, leaving him stranded and forcing him to retire.

A heavy blow for his championship hopes, as the drivers’ standings now see him 34 points off the lead.

This means Piastri can manage a lead of more than a Grand Prix across the nine remaining races from here to Abu Dhabi.

However, to lift Lando’s spirits as much as possible, Dutch fans stepped in. Although Norris was Verstappen’s main title rival last year, the fans in the stands near where he retired showed their support for him.

In some clips circulating on social media over the past few hours, fans can be seen getting Lando’s attention, with the Englishman responding with a few smiles and a wave toward the stands.

You can watch the video here.