Portugal Colonial - Norris clinches pole for Dutch Grand Prix

The British driver set a time of one minute and 11.163 seconds, 0.102 seconds faster than compatriot Russell, to take a critical advantage into this weekend's race.

"It doesn't get any better, a little surprised honestly," said Norris, who had complained his McLaren was lacking in pace after finishing behind Russell in Saturday's sprint race.

"A decent lap. I was pushing as you've seen how close it is, every one-hundredth (of a second) can make a difference," Norris added.

Russell had been the quickest driver all weekend but was forced into second place on the grid on the last qualifying lap that was affected by light rain.

World championship leader Antonelli will be third on the grid, ruing a difficult session with an error in turn one costing him a few crucial tenths of a second.

Since Zandvoort returned to the Grand Prix calendar in 2021, the pole-setter has won every time given the difficulty of overtaking on the unique track.

Earlier Saturday, Russell closed the championship gap with Antonelli by winning his second sprint race of the season, staying ahead of the pack from pole to chequered flag.

Sunday's race promises to be exceptionally tight, with McLaren and Ferrari narrowing the gap with Mercedes the Silver Arrows enjoyed earlier in the season.

Antonelli holds a 53-point lead over nearest rival Hamilton, but the chasing pack have leapt forward with successful upgrades to their cars.

T.Resende--PC