Lando Norris joked that having the “biggest balls” helped him storm to pole position for the 2026 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix after a thrilling qualifying on Saturday.
The McLaren driver sealed back-to-back pole positions on either side of the summer break, at Zandvoort.
Norris was the fastest MCL40 on track during the top 10 shootout, getting the better of the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The prospect of impending rain made things quite tricky at the start of Q3, with the heavens finally opening up on the second flying laps.
Norris, reflecting on the session, while pleased, deemed the result unexpected.
“I don’t know how much the rain, honestly, affected things. Certainly, the lap time was a bit better than I expected,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“And, honestly, it made me just cool the track a little bit. And, actually, the tyres performed better through the lap. But I wouldn’t say it affected anything in a bad way.”
The Briton explained how he was overdriving his car, which in an unexpected way “paid off” for him.
“It wasn’t a lap that felt mega,” Norris added.
“I just had to commit through everything. Because I knew how close it was going to be.
“So it was one where I just committed a lot more through moments. And almost made more mistakes.
“I committed a lot more through some of these mistakes. I kind of seemed to gain more than I seemed to lose at times. So it’s always hard to know.
“I don’t know my delta, so I don’t know where I went quicker or slower. But it was a lap where I just thought I had nothing to lose. And it paid off.”
Lando Norris makes “big balls” admission after F1 Dutch GP pole
Norris surmised that McLaren’s turnaround was more a matter of the team understanding the concept of the car better at the circuit.
He explained how the team hadn’t changed anything substantial on the car since the sprint race.
“We’ve not changed those things. Our car is certainly the best in high speed, no doubt. Or I have the biggest balls, I don’t know!” he joked.
Looking forward to the 72-lap swansong for Zandvoort on Sunday, the McLaren driver contended that the MCL40 would struggle throughout in low speed corners.
“But it’s very, very strong there. And the low speed, we just really still struggle,” Norris concluded.
“Struggle too much to be confident about everything.
“We definitely made maybe a little bit of progress, but it’s still going to be the trickiest side of things tomorrow.”
The 200m run up to Turn 1 will be the most crucial aspect for Norris, on Sunday, as track position has turned out to be key for success, this weekend.
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