ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Lando Norris just can’t seem to get his starts right. For once, it didn’t stop him beating Max Verstappen.

Norris started on pole position but was slow off the line — a persistent problem for him — allowing Red Bull driver Verstappen to jump ahead.

Norris closed the gap and overtook Verstappen into the opening corner on the 18th lap of 72 and was then on course for his second career win and the McLaren team’s third of the year.

“After getting done into turn one and off the line, I was actually surprisingly calm,” Norris said. “Maybe because I’m a bit used to going backwards at the start, I’m very prepared for those kinds of scenarios. I was very calm and just ‘OK, well what can I do now?’”

Verstappen was beaten at his home race for the first time and saw his lead over Norris cut from 78 points to 70 with nine races remaining.

It was Norris’ fourth career pole position, but the first time he won after starting on pole. Verstappen pulled away but Norris reeled him back in as Verstappen started to complain his tires lacked grip. Norris finally took the lead back down the inside of the banked “Tarzan” turn. After that, Norris methodically stretched his lead to nearly 23 seconds at the flag, building a gap in case of a safety-car restart which never came.