Norris 'still believes' in title fightback after Dutch GP pole

Lando Norris beat Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to pole in Zandvoort; reigning world champion Norris claimed McLaren's first win of the season in the previous round; watch the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday at 2pm (build-up from 12.30pm), live on Sky Sports F1

Lando Norris feels it's "nice to know there's a possibility" he could stay in the battle to retain his Formula 1 world championship, after taking pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix.

​​​​​​The McLaren driver produced a dominant race victory in the final race before the sport's summer break in Hungary and made it two successive pole positions by topping qualifying in Zandvoort on Saturday.

Norris' pole came after he had reduced his deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 90 points by finishing ahead of the Mercedes driver in the Sprint earlier on Saturday.

In qualifying, Norris edged out the other Mercedes of George Russell for pole, with Antonelli having to settle for third behind his team-mate.

Norris said: "There's no point in thinking about it. Just focus on tomorrow. I honestly don't care what I'm doing next weekend or the weekend after.

Antonelli leads Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton at the top of the standings by 53 points, with Saturday's Sprint winner Russell a further three points back. Norris, who's fifth in the standings, also trails Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 11 points.

Norris appeared to be in a head-to-head battle with his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri for last year's title before Red Bull's Max Verstappen surged back into contention and eventually finished just two points behind the champion.

Verstappen's cause was aided by both McLarens being disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix and a strategic error from the eventual constructors' champions at the Qatar Grand Prix, which Norris referenced as he plotted his own 2026 comeback.

"Of course, I'm hoping both Mercedes get a double DSQ in Vegas like we did and decide not to box in Qatar for a free pit stop," Norris said.

"So, as long as they make the same mistakes, it'll probably be just as easy, but every year is different.

"For me, we're still trying to play catch up with certain things, but I'm getting everything out of it for now and that's all I can be pleased about.

"I'm happy. It's still a very long way to go. I'm optimistic. I still believe that it's possible and that's all I need for now."

Russell, who must leapfrog Norris on Sunday to complete a Sprint-Grand Prix double in Zandvoort, believes he is benefiting from his position in the championship having removed pressure.