Lando Norris feels it’s “nice to know there’s a possibility” he could stay in the battle to retain his Formula 1 world championship, after taking pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver produced a dominant race victory in the final race before the sport’s summer break in Hungary and made it two successive pole positions by topping qualifying in Zandvoort on Saturday.
Norris’ pole came after he had reduced his deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 90 points by finishing ahead of the Mercedes driver in the Sprint earlier on Saturday.
In qualifying, Norris edged out the other Mercedes of George Russell for pole, with Antonelli having to settle for third behind his team-mate.
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Norris said: “There’s no point in thinking about it. Just focus on tomorrow. I honestly don’t care what I’m doing next weekend or the weekend after.
“It’s nice to know there’s a possibility.”
Antonelli leads Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at the top of the standings by 53 points, with Saturday’s Sprint winner Russell a further three points back. Norris, who’s fifth in the standings, also trails Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 11 points.
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Norris appeared to be in a head-to-head battle with his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri for last year’s title before Red Bull’s Max Verstappen surged back into contention and eventually finished just two points behind the champion.
Verstappen’s cause was aided by both McLarens being disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix and a strategic error from the eventual constructors’ champions at the Qatar Grand Prix, which Norris referenced as he plotted his own 2026 comeback.
“Of course, I’m hoping both Mercedes get a double DSQ in Vegas like we did and decide not to box in Qatar for a free pit stop,” Norris said.
“So, as long as they make the same mistakes, it’ll probably be just as easy, but every year is different.
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“For me, we’re still trying to play catch up with certain things, but I’m getting everything out of it for now and that’s all I can be pleased about.
“I’m happy. It’s still a very long way to go. I’m optimistic. I still believe that it’s possible and that’s all I need for now.”
Russell: Title mine to gain, not lose
Russell, who must leapfrog Norris on Sunday to complete a Sprint-Grand Prix double in Zandvoort, believes he is benefiting from his position in the championship having removed pressure.
The 28-year-old started the season as the clear title favourite but has been surprisingly outperformed by Antonelli, who doesn’t turn 20 until two days after Sunday’s race.
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Russell said: “After the break, I just feel way more relaxed. I don’t feel I’ve got anything to lose. The pressure’s off. I’m just going to go out, enjoy it.
“I don’t even really feel in a fight. It’s not mine to lose, it’s mine to gain. That’s the mentality I’ve got, and I feel it’s going to help me. I’m just enjoying driving.”
Despite his change in mindset, Russell shared his belief that the title race could swing very quickly over the 11 remaining rounds that follow Sunday’s race.
“There’s more points on offer from this point until the end of the season than we’ve had so far,” Russell said.
“It changes so, so quick. We already saw it earlier in the season – at one point I was almost 70 points down, got within 25, went up to 60. It’s ebbs and flows and it’s far from over. Long way to go.
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“I think the Ferraris are looking great. Lando’s been on pole for the last two races as well, so you can’t count anybody out.
“We’ve got these upgrades coming. We’ve got to hope that they work. It only takes one issue with an upgrade and it doesn’t work as you expect, and before you know it, you’re not fighting at the front week in, week out, and they can be big points missed.”
Antonelli: Weekend has been a wake-up call
While Antonelli could quite easily end the weekend with a bigger title lead than he begun it with, the Italian is already describing it as a “wake-up call” for him.
Antonelli made an error in the first part of Sprint Qualifying on Friday that damaged his car and left him compromised for the rest of the session, which contributed to him only managing to take fifth on the grid, before he finished the 24-lap race in fourth.
The 19-year-old, who is driving just his second season in F1, was also frustrated with himself for making an error in on his final run in Saturday’s full-length qualifying session.
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Antonelli said: “I don’t feel any extra pressure, but it was a very good wake-up call this weekend, that you can never lower your guard.
“Because when you do that, I did a mistake yesterday and today I did a mistake in Q3.
“It’s not that I’m driving more tense or anything, but it’s just I feel this weekend is a good wake-up call and to just, again, put things in the right place at the right time and just deliver the result when it counts.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Dutch GP schedule
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Sunday August 23
9.35am: F1 Academy Race 2
10.50am: Porsche Supercup Race 2
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Dutch GP build-up
2pm: THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Dutch GP reaction
Formula 1 is at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix with Sunday’s race at 2pm and build-up from 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime