Lando Norris claimed victory at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, marking his second consecutive win of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The McLaren driver crossed the line 11.536 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at Circuit Zandvoort. This result follows Norris’s win at the Hungarian Grand Prix, signaling McLaren’s improved performance.
The race was impacted by heavy rain approximately 45 minutes before the start, though the track had dried sufficiently for all cars to begin on slick tyres. Norris, starting from pole position, maintained his lead initially. However, the opening lap was soon red-flagged following a significant incident involving Max Verstappen.
Verstappen, the four-time world champion, crashed heavily at the final corner of the opening lap. He appeared to dip a wheel onto a damp kerb on the inside of the banked bend, losing control and impacting the barriers. His Red Bull then spun back across the track, narrowly avoided by Pierre Gasly and Arvid Lindblad. Verstappen confirmed he was unharmed, stating, ‘Yeah that’s it. I’m sorry guys.’
The incident led to a 30-minute delay for barrier repairs. Almost simultaneously, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto spun at the same corner, narrowly avoiding a collision with teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Bortoleto, who started ninth, lost traction in the dense field. Hulkenberg, starting 13th, reacted swiftly to avoid T-boning his teammate.
Upon the restart, Antonelli overtook Norris for the lead at Turn 1. George Russell, who had a poor getaway from second on the grid, also lost a position to Antonelli. Oscar Piastri then executed a move on Russell to claim third.
Norris executed a strategic pit stop seven laps later than Antonelli, a move that proved decisive. This allowed him to close the gap and ultimately pass Antonelli around the outside of Turn 1 on Lap 54. Norris described the race as a fight, noting, ‘I made it tough for myself today, but a good race. Well fought. Probably one of my better wins.’
A late Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed on Lap 56 when Haas’s Esteban Ocon stopped at Turn 3. Antonelli, along with the Ferrari drivers, pitted for fresh soft tyres under the VSC. This elevated Russell to second, but left him on older hard tyres.
Mercedes subsequently issued team orders, asking Russell to allow Antonelli through to secure second place. Russell complied, albeit with some protest, acknowledging Antonelli’s fresher tyres would have allowed him to pass regardless. He stated, ‘Kimi was ahead of me anyway so he deserved to finish ahead.’ Russell held off Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to secure the final podium spot.
Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, finished fourth, with teammate Charles Leclerc in fifth. Hamilton expressed frustration with Ferrari’s strategy during the race, particularly regarding pit stops and tyre management. Ferrari has been actively developing its SF-26, with a defined upgrade program for the second half of the season focusing on the power unit, chassis, and aerodynamics.
Oscar Piastri finished sixth for McLaren. Liam Lawson, standing in for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, secured seventh place despite receiving a 10-second time penalty for a yellow flag infringement. Lawson had a wheel-to-wheel tussle with Verstappen on the opening lap before the crash. Nico Hulkenberg brought his Audi home in eighth, followed by Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin in ninth.
Pierre Gasly rounded out the points in tenth for Alpine. Gasly and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad were involved in a midfield battle, with Gasly later commenting on Racing Bulls’ ‘team game’ strategy. Yuki Tsunoda and Arvid Lindblad finished 11th and 12th respectively for Racing Bulls. Gabriel Bortoleto finished 13th for Audi.
The 2026 Dutch Grand Prix marks the final appearance of Formula 1 at Zandvoort, as the circuit relinquishes its place on the calendar for 2027. In the Drivers’ Championship, Antonelli maintains his lead with 242 points. Russell and Hamilton are tied for second and third with 183 points each, with Russell ahead on countback due to more wins. Norris’s victory moves him to fourth in the standings with 159 points.
