“Peaking at the right time”: Oscar Piastri looks back on his qualifying in Zandvoort

Oscar Piastri reflected on his performance during the qualifying session of the 2025 F1 Dutch GP. He managed to put himself in pole position, despite tough competition from his teammate, Lando Norris.

McLaren has been the favorite so far this weekend in terms of overall pace and competitiveness. The drivers topped the order during the practice sessions and will be fronting the grid during the race on Sunday as they locked up the front row.

Looking back at the session, Piastri mentioned that his car peaked at the right time, which unlocked the opportunity for him to set the fastest lap around the grid.

"That was the definition of peaking at the right time," he said after the session. "I'm super happy to come out with this result, but obviously the points are tomorrow. It was looking like a little bit of a tricky weekend so far, so happy with that."

Piastri has been competing at the top since the beginning of the 2025 F1 season. His consistent performances have made him a strong contender for the World Championship. Norris, meanwhile, sits in second place in the championship standings.

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Lando Norris "disappointed" after losing pole to Oscar Piastri

Lando Norris during the 2025 F1 Dutch GP qualifying session (Getty Images)

Oscar Piastri is seemingly the only hurdle Lando Norris has to clinching his first F1 World Championship. He narrowed the gap to nine points heading into this race weekend.

Considering the fact that not many overtakes are featured around Zandvoort, it would have been best for Norris to clinch pole position. However, Oscar Piastri demonstrated a stronger pace during his final run.

When asked if Norris was frustrated after missing out on pole position, he said:

"Yes and no. I mean it's close, it's been close the whole weekend. So, easily could go one way or the other. So yeah I guess a little bit disappointed to not be on pole but it's close, they were still some decent laps. So not the end of the world either."

Norris wasn't extremely competitive during the season's initial stages; meanwhile, Oscar Piastri won multiple races, which gave him the lead in the championship. However, Norris has been performing rather consistently in the recent races, which has helped him narrow the gap. Meanwhile, McLaren has a very strong lead in the Constructors' Championship, and they are on their way to win their second consecutive championship.