Max Verstappen said second place was the best result he could have hoped for at the Dutch Grand Prix after Lando Norris’s late retirement handed him the runner’s-up spot.

Despite finishing just 1.271 seconds behind Oscar Piastri, Verstappen conceded the McLaren cars were a grade above the competition as his faint hopes of retaining his world title were snuffed out.

“Unfortunately we didn’t have the pace of the McLarens but we got a bit lucky with one retiring,” said Verstappen. “Being second is a really good achievement for us.”

Verstappen passed Norris on the opening lap with a daring manoeuvre, having qualified third behind both McLaren drivers, but said he never had any expectations of winning the race.

Different class

“I wanted more today, but I quickly realised we didn’t have the speed,” he said, noting that he was almost matched for pace by Frenchman Isack Hadjar driving for Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s junior team.

“It was more a case of fighting the cars behind me than the one in front of me. McLaren’s car is just in a different class at the moment.”

Norris’s retirement meant the 20-year-old Hadjar finished in the top three for the first time in his rookie season. “I’ve been looking up to Verstappen since I was driving karts as a kid,” the Frenchman said. ”Sharing a podium with him is very cool.”

The result means Verstappen keeps up his record of finishing in the top two every year since the Zandvoort race was reinstated in 2021, with three wins and two podium finishes. After next year’s Dutch Grand Prix the race will drop off the calendar.

Piastri’s seventh win of the season, combined with Norris’s engine failure late in the race, leaves the Australian with a 34-point lead over his team-mate in the title race with nine races remaining.

Norris seemed to be coasting to second place ahead of Verstappen when he reported an oil leak with eight laps to go, and his car ground to a halt shortly afterwards.

“I just want to have a burger and go home,” the Englishman told Sky Sports.