Lando Norris can’t afford another mistake. He must do everything perfectly this weekend to deal an important moral blow to Max Verstappen, where it hurts the most, in the Dutchman’s home, in front of his people, in front of the perfect stands supporting their idol. And he fulfilled the first of the points marked on his agenda. Lando Norris took pole at the 2024 F1 Netherlands GP and silenced thousands of fans who all morning sang various ‘hits’ dedicated to their beloved three-time champion and went crazy when they saw Max cross at the finish line in the last part. seconds.
But then came the blow of reality. A few seconds later, Lando confirmed his superiority and took the pole from Max, who, however, could boast of lapd again with a car in which Pérez only got 5 to 7 tenths, a world on a very short track. That leaves a good first line for this Sunday: the two protagonists of this World Cup, champion against contender, two great friends who will meet again on the track: Norris, first, against Verstappen, second.
They will once again challenge each other for victory on a track where it is difficult to overtake and where the start and strategy are important. Norris favors a car with better race pace and less rain expected, reducing the likelihood of madness. But with Max second, anything can happen.
Max is human. You can fight for reason behind the wheel and make the most of your Red Bull to minimize your losses and even win races by taking advantage of the various mistakes that McLaren has made since they were confirmed as the best car in Miami. But on such a complex track, with little grip, which leaves no room for error, where it is very important to have confidence in the car, Max did nothing to overtake the McLarens. And now, Lando took advantage of it.
As the Englishman eloquently reminded Hungary, unwilling to relinquish the position that belonged to his teammate Piastri, he will need the Australian to take more points from Max. Oscar tried his McLaren, but was overtaken by Verstappen for second place in the last attempt and the ‘Aussie’ could not improve enough on the horn.
Piastri will have to fulfill his mission this time, unlike when he overtook Lando at the start in Hungary. He should try to help Max by attacking him at the start or putting pressure on him with a theoretically better car and speed during the race. And for his part, Norris should finally complete an error-free start after poor starts from pole in Barcelona and Hungary. If he achieves this and McLaren can execute his strategy, this victory could be his. It looks good for McLaren, even a double chance, but before them is Verstappen and his own ghosts from past events.
Russell will start fourth, with a Mercedes that always has good race pace. And Pérez in 5th, improved on his recent performances to start to break out of his slump.
Alonso, great 7th
Fernando Alonso confirmed on Thursday that his natural position is to fight to be 9th or 10th. But again, he’s back to maximizing his opportunities. In his final Q2 time, he threw away two cars that theoretically should have been leading like Sainz and Hamilton and in Q3 he took advantage of this to achieve a very good 7th position. Once again, he brought out the full potential of his Aston Martin, especially on the last lap where he gained at least three tenths in the final sector from his teammate Stroll, who was 9th. Right on the table.
Albon is 8th, with Stroll 9th and Gasly close behind, closing out the Top-10
Hamilton, out of Q3
The big negative surprise of the classification came from Lewis Hamilton. In one of the favorites to fight for pole, the 7-time world champion, was left in Q3, almost a tenth of the cut-off time set by Fernando Alonso, who took the last available place to secure the best 10 fight on the clock.
Sainz, tough weekend
Spaniard Carlos Sainz was also left behind in Q3 with his Ferrari. The man from Madrid was penalized for coming into qualifying blindly, without first testing the soft tires in any session, and more importantly, without riding the only dry session, in FP2, because of the problem in his gearbox.
Because of this, he went against the flow throughout the classification, learning the ropes while others might come with less doubts. He avoided staying in Q1 with a great last lap, sacrificing another game over his rivals earlier in that session, but ultimately failed to break into the top 10 with a car in which he it seems that the grip is small and there is a lot. scary
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
