Formula 1 once again showcased McLaren’s supremacy, driven by the exceptional synergy of Lando Norris and the competitiveness of Oscar Piastri. The MCL39 demonstrated remarkable handling even on a “green” track during FP1, while in the afternoon session, rivals drew slightly closer—particularly Aston Martin, which confirmed its recent progress at Zandvoort. Today, it will be interesting to see how much space the two McLaren drivers can create on the track.
McLaren: the only true F1 cars on track
It was almost expected that the Dutch circuit would perfectly suit the MCL39s’ strengths. Last year, Lando Norris delivered a masterclass performance over the local favorite, winning comfortably and leaving Max Verstappen, who finished second, a wide gap behind. Based on yesterday’s observations, the papaya-colored cars seem to belong to a different category—perhaps the only true Formula 1 machines on the track.
Rivals appear to have little chance of matching the performance of the McLaren drivers. Weather could always shake up the order, but this season the British car has proven fast in virtually any condition. It is hard to imagine anyone pulling a surprise like Charles Leclerc did during qualifying in Hungary.
It will be particularly interesting to see if Oscar Piastri can challenge super-fast Norris on this track. He might be able to, especially considering that, according to his race engineer over the radio, his planned lap times were faster than those of his teammate. This internal battle for supremacy is likely to continue for the remaining races and will help define the roles of both drivers for next season.
Max Verstappen is unlikely to provide much joy to his home fans this weekend, despite their strong support. The RB21, even with a new front wing specification, still suffers from endemic understeer through Zandvoort’s corners. Consequently, as of yesterday, the favorite for pole position appears to be the Englishman.
Low-key approach from Piastri and Norris
The reigning vice-champion can look ahead to the rest of the weekend with optimism. The car is fantastic, and the circuit is certainly one of his favorites. However, since competing for the championship, Norris has avoided overconfidence. After the first two free practice sessions, he stressed that further performance improvements would be necessary, as the competition is expected to be very tight.
It is difficult to believe that anyone could seriously challenge the two British drivers this round, despite Aston Martin showing strong pace at the historic Dutch track and Mercedes demonstrating high potential. Oscar Piastri was called to the stewards after FP2 for a borderline pit-lane maneuver during a red-flag situation caused by Alex Albon’s off-track excursion.
The stewards decided that no disciplinary sanction was warranted, only a monetary fine. This was a relief for the Australian driver, who also admitted that yesterday had been a strange day, especially in choosing which tires to test due to variable conditions. According to Piastri, only today will it become clear where all the competitors truly stand.
We must therefore wait for FP3 at Zandvoort to gauge the real performance levels on track. McLaren continues to maintain a low profile with all participants. Is it just mind games? Possibly, though at this stage, the only real threat seems to be errors that either of the two drivers might make.
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