Oscar Piastri turned a Lando Norris-dominated weekend on its head with a last-gasp lap for pole at Zandvoort — and the timing couldn’t be sharper in a title fight balanced on a knife edge.
Norris had been the reference all through Friday and Saturday, sweeping practice and looking like the nailed-on favourite for pole. Then Piastri stitched together a near-perfect final run when it mattered, lowering the lap record to a 1:08.662 and edging his teammate by just 0.012s. That’s the kind of swing that isn’t just about starting first; it’s the sort that can ripple through a championship.
Piastri, who leads the standings by nine points over Norris, kept the crowing to a minimum. He chalked it up to peaking at the right time and reminded everyone that points are handed out on Sunday. Norris, for his part, didn’t sound spooked. He noted that he’d only been “slightly ahead” through the weekend before the tables turned in qualifying.
But the psyche of a title fight matters, and Jacques Villeneuve didn’t bother disguising it. The 1997 world champion pointed out how Norris had been the benchmark all weekend, with Piastri trailing by a solid margin… until the final lap. Deliver your best when the stopwatch is the only judge — that’s the mark of a driver ready to lead a campaign. In Villeneuve’s assessment, that pole was heavier than it looks on paper.
It also reshapes the chessboard for Sunday. McLaren’s advantage wasn’t the canyon it first appeared; the pack condensed in qualifying and Max Verstappen, with the grandstands behind him and strategy tools sharpened, lurks close enough to spoil anyone’s carefully laid plans.
That’s where it gets tricky for McLaren. When you’re fighting another team, you split your strategies and cover your bases. When you’re fighting your teammate, the lead car gets first call — and the second car’s job often becomes protecting the win for the team, especially with a threat like Verstappen in range. If Piastri leads into Turn 1, Norris may well find himself playing rear gunner, covering undercuts or forcing Red Bull’s hand to keep the orange-and-black car boxed in. Flip the order, and the roles reverse.
The stakes are obvious. A clean launch, track position into Tarzan, and the timing of the first stop will decide which McLaren shapes the race, and whether Verstappen gets a shot to disrupt. Zandvoort punishes hesitation and rewards decisiveness; expect McLaren to be aggressive with their strategy tools and not shy of splitting calls if they need both outcomes covered. We’ve seen them do it “fair and square” before this season, and Zandvoort could demand the same cold-blooded clarity.
It’s also a reputation play inside the garage. Piastri’s pole — his fifth — didn’t arrive by accident. He lived with Norris’s pace, chipped away through the sessions, and then delivered the lap on cue. It’s the kind of moment that tightens a grip on a championship lead and forces the other side of the garage to reset for Sunday. Norris has the raw speed and the confidence; Piastri is showing the composure you need to turn weekends into points.
Sunday’s 72-lap run will be about as simple as threading a needle in a gale. The undercut is potent here, traffic can be brutal, and the safety car is never far from the conversation. If McLaren truly has pace in hand, they’ll try to control it from the front. If Verstappen is as close in race trim as he looked in qualifying, expect a game of brinkmanship on pit lane and a dose of elbows out on track.
Either way, McLaren has prepared for this exact scenario: two drivers fighting for the title, one team trying not to lose the race on the pit wall. Piastri drew first blood when it mattered most. Now the real fight starts.
