Lando Norris admitted he was "surprised" by the pace of his McLaren as he put himself on pole for Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix. 

Norris pipped sprint race winner George Russell to the line by 0.102 seconds to start at the front of the pack, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli took third. 

Oscar Piastri, Norris' McLaren team-mate, will start on the second row alongside Antonelli, with Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc the next fastest. 

Fresh from putting pen to paper on a new deal with Red Bull earlier this week, Max Verstappen took seventh ahead of temporary team-mate Liam Lawson in eighth. 

The Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10, but the day belonged to Norris, who is enjoying something of a mid-season surge. 

Norris claimed his first win of the season before the summer break and finished third in the sprint race earlier on Saturday, and he feels McLaren have a good chance of challenging for the race victory this weekend, though he acknowledged the difficulties they will face. 

"I'm a little surprised honestly. A decent lap, I was pushing because you've seen how close it is, one hundredth, two hundredths can make a big difference in the end," Norris said.

"A good turn around from earlier today when I felt like we struggled a bit. We certainly felt very strong.

"The team did a good job, so credit to them on trying to get a little bit more out of the car, and it certainly helped me today.

"We made some small changes [after the sprint], nothing that was going make us gain one tenth or two tenths, but enough to give me a little bit more confidence on a track like Zandvoort, you need good confidence in the car and you want to attack a lot.

"I felt like I could do that more today and it paid off. I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow. This is always one of the best events. Hopefully we can put on a good show."

POLE ON THE SAND DUNES #McLarenF1 | #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/XVCjoG8IQN

— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) August 22, 2026

Norris' win in Hungary last time out was the 12th of his career, and should he triumph again in the Netherlands, he will become the 25th driver in history to record 13 or more victories in the sport, drawing level with Alberto Ascari and David Coulthard. 

The poleman has won each of the last five editions of the Dutch Grand Prix, all since the race returned to the Formula One calendar in 2021. That is as many times as in the previous 14 races held at Zandvoort.  

Piastri was the last winner of the Dutch Grand Prix, and should McLaren get another win under their belts, they will breathe new life into their constructors' title defence. 

And team principal Andrea Stella also feels success in the drivers' championship is still not beyond the Papaya.

He said: "The idea was to make changes to the car that would achieve both because, in fact, after the sprint qualy and the sprint, the needs were similar.

"We needed to improve the grip at low speed and we needed to reduce the demand on the rear axle.

"Hopefully the changes we have made will help onboard. I think our performance in qualifying improved, but let's see if this helps tomorrow in the race.

"We definitely enter the race with the aim of the double podium in the race.

"But if you asked me who was the fastest after the sprint, I would have said Leclerc and Leclerc was not too far [away]."