Arabic version: نوريس يتوقع تحدياً على صعيد الفوز في زاندفورت من مرسيدس

According to BBC News, Lando Norris starts the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position but expects a tougher contest than his comfortable victory in Hungary a month ago.

The McLaren driver took pole at Zandvoort after a qualifying lap he described as being on the ragged edge. Norris was fastest in the middle sector, including the high-speed Turn Seven at Scheivlak, finishing 0.28 seconds quicker than Mercedes driver George Russell there.

However, Norris said the earlier sprint showed why Sunday could be more difficult. Starting second behind Russell, he fell behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the closing stages as his pace dropped. He said McLaren would study the sprint and seek compromises between high- and low-speed performance.

Russell won the sprint and said McLaren’s high-speed advantage may be harder to use in the race because it puts too much temperature into the tyres. He added that pole is the best place to start at a circuit where overtaking is difficult.

Russell is 56 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the drivers’ championship, despite moving three points closer with his sprint win. Antonelli qualified behind Russell but said he believed he had a real chance of pole after losing time in the first sector of his final lap.