Lando Norris finished both free practice sessions on Friday in Zandvoort as the fastest driver. However, the Brit is not yet confident that he can take pole position in the qualifying round a day later. ‘They were much closer to our times than we would like,’ Norris says about the two Aston Martin drivers.
While on the Friday of the Dutch GP one driver after another ended up in the gravel and hit the barriers – Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen ended up in the gravel in FP1, while Lance Stroll and Alex Albon could not finish FP2 – Lando Norris consistently topped the time sheets.
However, the McLaren driver thinks it’s too early to label himself as the favourite for pole position. “My lap times today were not much different from my pole position time last year,” Norris says after the first two sessions in Zandvoort. “The car felt good, we made some improvements between the two free practice sessions, but it also seems that other drivers are now closer than we would have liked.”
Aston Martin
Norris particularly points to Aston Martin. “Even the Astons and Fernando (Alonso) were fast in FP1 and FP2. They were much closer to our times than we would like.” Lance Stroll finished the first session on Friday in third place, behind the McLaren duo, while Fernando Alonso split the two Papaya drivers with his second place in FP2. “It’s not surprising that they are so fast. Max (Verstappen) was not much slower either, despite running on the inferior hard tyre.”
The two free practice sessions were interrupted by several red flags, meaning McLaren, like the other teams, could not complete the full planned programme. “We will have to make do with what we have learned,” Norris continues. “However, there is still plenty to investigate and improve. The weather conditions are tricky. It could rain during both the qualifying and the race.”
