Dutch GP: Lando Norris ‘working hard’ to turn ‘best lap’ into win

Norris said he and the team had been looking into how to increase their chances of converting their potential.

“I know my starts have not been my forte over the last [few races] probably,” Norris said.

“They’ve not been bad, honestly. I’m still up there with being one of the best average starters. I’ve just missed out on a couple of races and maybe slightly worse than what it’s been over the course of a season.

“There’s a couple of times when they’ve not been quite where they need to be a couple of times I’ve been on the front row. It’s been different things each time.

“But I feel confident I put in a good amount of work to kind of try and make my starts a bit better.”

And he said he was hopeful Sunday would deliver the win he has wanted.

“We’re in a pretty reasonable place,” Norris said. “Our long-run pace was pretty strong the other day, but Max, Oscar, both the Mercs, especially George, in the position he is, are quick and are going to be challenging. So I’m not expecting anything easy for sure.”

Verstappen was pleased to qualify on the front row after a difficult weekend for Red Bull.

“I never really felt that I was in the fight for pole,” the world champion said. “And then when you come out of qualifying on the front row, I think that’s OK.”

But he pointed out that Norris’ pace advantage did not augur well for Red Bull’s chances in the race.

“When you see the gap, it’s going to be very tricky,” Verstappen said.

“Also, it just seems like Lando’s a bit happier in general with just the driving and how he feels. I’m a bit more all over the place with the balance, so I don’t know, maybe it stabilises a bit tomorrow.”

Red Bull had their own upgrade in the Netherlands, but Verstappen acknowledged they were no longer the fastest car.

“If you look at the last, what, seven races, it’s just been a bit more difficult for us,” he said.

“And we are trying to understand or try to just improve the situation. But it’s not a magic button or switch, you know, that you turn.”

Verstappen’s team-make Sergio Perez took fifth, behind Mercedes’ George Russell, after benefiting from driver coaching at Silverstone this week.

“It was just to get up to speed,” Perez said. “It’s always good to refresh your mind; (and work on) things I was struggling with, understanding them.”

Russell, 0.571secs off pole after being fastest in Friday practice, was optimistic he could challenge in the race.

“I expect a good fight with the McLarens,” he said. “They have still been the quickest in the last few races, even at Spa, I think Piastri was the fastest car.

“If we get the strategy right and make a good start, it can all change very quick.”

His team-mate Lewis Hamilton starts 12th after struggling for pace and making an error on his final lap in the second part of qualifying. “I don’t expect it to be a great race,” he said.