Lando Norris scored back-to-back wins after taking victory at the Dutch GP – the last race held at Zandvoort for the foreseeable future. Despite missing out on the win, Kimi Antonelli did stretch his championship lead after finishing second, ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
- Norris wins, 11.536 sec ahead of Antonelli
- Mercedes scores double podium finish
- Alonso P9 for Aston Martin
Norris wins Dutch GP
Verstappen crashes out of home race
Starting from pole position, Norris initially held the lead. But the race was red-flagged moments later as Max Verstappen crashed out on the opening lap after losing control on the drying track.
Fresh off announcing his contract extension with Red Bull, the four-time world champion was keen to win his home race, with Zandvoort dropping off the F1 calendar next year. However, Verstappen appeared to struggle for pace throughout the weekend. “[It was a] disappointing end to a weekend that already, I think, was quite tough for us – not really having the pace to challenge the cars ahead. But we’ll see if we can do better in Monza and be a little bit closer to the front,” he said.
At the re-start, Norris lost the lead to Antonelli. The McLaren driver bid his time before finally making a move on Lap 52. Heading into Turn 1, he first passed Antonelli around the outside and then overtook Lewis Hamilton on the same lap to move into the lead.
A late Virtual Safety Car, brought out due to Esteban Ocon stopping on track, saw teams split strategies. A number of drivers, including Antonelli, pitted for fresh tyres, while Norris and Russell stayed out. Russell let Antonelli past on Lap 65, but Norris had already stretched a safe lead by then. He crossed the chequered flag 11.536 sec clear of Antonelli.
"Yesterday I said we needed to put on a bit of a show for everyone for the final race here, so I made it tough for myself today but [it was] a good race, well-fought,” Norris said. “Probably one of my better wins – we had to fight for it well but the pace was strong. We managed things incredibly well today, so over the moon, very happy. Nice to win the final race here in Zandvoort."
Russell couldn’t follow up his Sprint win with victory on Sunday, but he fended off Hamilton to hold on to third place. Speaking after the race, the Mercedes driver explained, “I come away from this weekend as a whole satisfied. It’s been my best weekend for quite a while. I’ll take those positives.”
Charles Leclerc ended up fifth in the other Ferrari car, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Liam Lawson, who replaced an injured Isack Hadjar at Red Bull Racing for this race, finished seventh despite being handed a 10-second time penalty for a yellow flag infringement.
Nico Hulkenberg crossed the line P8, handing Audi some valuable points. Aston Martin appears to be taking steps in the right direction with its recent updates, with Fernando Alonso finishing P9. Finally, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.
2026 F1 championship standings
Antonelli has extended his championship lead to 59 points from his teammate Russell, who is now tied on points with Hamilton. Norris’ consecutive wins sees him climb up fourth place in the standings, 24 points behind Russell and Hamilton.
F1 will now head to Monza for the Italian GP on September 4-6.
Dinshaw Magol
