Dutch Grand Prix: Norris - Antonelli - Russell

      Slightly cloudy. Dry. Air +18...19°C, track +30...35°C.

      In 2026, the Dutch Grand Prix was held for the first time in a Saturday sprint format – and the last time in recent history. Two years ago, the organizers informed Formula 1 that they planned to conclude this glorious story in 2026.

      Which of these reasons contributed more – is unknown, but unlike last year, tickets for the stage in Zandvoort sold out quickly and completely. Everyone wanted to see this memorable race in person. 100,000 fans per day, 300,000 for the weekend – the stands were completely filled.

      Before the weekend began, there was an unexpected change at Red Bull – Isaac Hajar broke his wrist during a boxing training session and could not drive. He was replaced by Liam Lawson from Racing Bulls, and Lawson himself was replaced by reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda.

      Many teams brought new items, but the power dynamics turned out to be almost the same as before the summer break in Hungary. George Russell won the sprint qualifying and the sprint. The main qualifying session went without surprises, except for a few drops of rain in the last minutes.

      Drivers from the four strongest teams occupied the first four rows of the starting grid. Lando Norris secured pole position for the second consecutive race. Alongside him on the front row was Russell, on the second row were Antonelli and Piastri, and on the third row were Ferrari teammates Hamilton and Leclerc. Max Verstappen dreamed of delighting his fans with a victory at the last home stage in recent history, but started only seventh, six hundredths ahead of his new teammate Lawson in qualifying.

      While working with Perez's car, Cadillac violated the closed park conditions, qualifying last and starting from the pit lane.

      Pirelli brought the "medium" trio of compounds – C2, C3, and C4 as Hard, Medium, and Soft. Norris, Russell, Antonelli, Piastri, Gasly, Colapinto, and Ocon chose Medium, Bottas started on Hard, and the others opted for Soft.

      At the start, Norris maintained the lead. Antonelli moved up to second place, while Bortoleto lost four positions. Verstappen and Lawson made contact but continued moving, while Max Verstappen crashed his car.

      Exiting the banking after a slight excursion onto the grass, Red Bull spun and was thrown into the wall on the opposite side of the track, then back again. Max apologized to the team and said he was fine.

      Bortoleto spun behind for his own reasons and without visible consequences. Hülkenberg nearly collided with him from behind but managed to react at the last moment.

      The race was stopped with red flags. The drivers pulled into the pit lane and exited their cars.

      The top ten of the stopped race: Norris - Antonelli - Russell - Leclerc - Piastri - Hamilton - Lawson - Lindblad - Gasly - Colapinto.

      After 28 minutes, a restart was announced from the grid. The drivers lined up again on the starting grid, changing tires. Piastri, Bottas, and Perez received new sets of Hard; Antonelli, Russell, Lindblad, Gasly, and Colapinto chose Medium, while the others put on Soft. Bortoleto and Berman exited the pit lane on a red light – these incidents are under investigation after the race.

      Berman's car stopped on the way to the starting grid at Turn 11 – he exited the cockpit, and the race director announced another formation lap.

      At the restart, Antonelli overtook Norris, taking the lead in the race, while Piastri passed Russell in the battle for third place.

      On lap 6, Lindblad went into the pits and served a penalty.

      On lap 9, Colapinto served a penalty.

      The top ten on lap 10: Antonelli - Norris - Piastri - Russell - Leclerc - Hamilton - Lawson - Gasly - Hülkenberg - Tsunoda.

      On lap 12, Bortoleto changed tires, on lap 16 – Stroll, on lap 18 – Russell, on lap 19 – Piastri, Gasly, and Tsunoda. Russell returned to the track ahead of Piastri, regaining his lost position.

      On lap 20, Hülkenberg made a pit stop, on lap 22 – Antonelli, Norris, Leclerc, and Lawson, on lap 26 – Hamilton.

      On lap 27, Gasly attacked Lindblad but made a mistake and let Hülkenberg through, who then overtook Arvid. Gasly attacked Lindblad again and lost another position, giving way to Tsunoda.

      On lap 28, Albon changed tires, on lap 30 – Bottas, on lap 31 – Perez and Sainz.

      Leclerc pressured Piastri, closing in for an attack, with Hamilton catching up behind them. On lap 34, Charles overtook the McLaren driver in the battle for fourth place. Lewis followed and overtook Oscar.

      On lap 36, Alonso changed tires, having completed half the distance on one set of Soft.

      The top ten on lap 37: Antonelli - Norris - Russell - Leclerc - Hamilton - Piastri - Lawson - Hülkenberg - Tsunoda - Gasly.

      On lap 39, Lindblad and Ocon made pit stops, on lap 41 – Antonelli and Russell.

      Leclerc was called into the pits, but he did not go in, holding back his teammate behind him, but on lap 45, he finally changed tires. Piastri made a pit stop on the same lap.

      On lap 46, Tsunoda changed tires, on lap 47 – Colapinto and Stroll went into the pits – Franco changed tires, while Lance retired from the race.

      On lap 48, Norris, Gasly, and Lawson made pit stops, on lap 50 – Hülkenberg, on lap 51 – Albon.

      The engineer suggested Hamilton switch to a fresh set of Medium, but Lewis decided to stay on the track on the Hard that had completed 27 laps.

      Antonelli on fresh tires was preparing to overtake Hamilton in the battle for the lead, but Kimi was actively attacking Norris – the entire trio was racing within a couple of tenths. On lap 54, Norris overtook Antonelli, and then Hamilton, taking the lead in the race.

      On lap 55, Ocon's car stopped on the track. A VSC mode was announced for its evacuation. Hamilton immediately dove into the pits, followed by Leclerc, Piastri, and Antonelli – all received Soft tires.

      The top ten under VSC: Norris - Russell - Antonelli - Hamilton - Leclerc - Piastri - Lawson - Hülkenberg - Alonso - Tsunoda.

      On lap 58, the drivers were able to continue racing. Gasly overtook Tsunoda.

      Antonelli on fresh Soft quickly caught up with Russell, and on lap 65, he was within striking distance behind his teammate, and the team asked George to let Kimi through since they were on different strategies. George did not like the decision, but he conceded the position.

      Hamilton was also quickly closing in on Soft, but Russell was not going to let him pass – a battle ensued until a couple of laps later when VSC mode was announced – debris needed to be cleared after the contact between two Williams drivers.

      The incident between the Williams drivers led to Albon's retirement and a 10-second penalty for Sainz. Lawson also received a 10-second penalty for speeding under yellow flags.

      Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix, securing his second consecutive victory. For the sixth consecutive time, the pole sitter finished first in Zandvoort.

      Kimi Antonelli finished second, solidifying his lead in the individual standings, while George Russell withstood Hamilton's attacks and climbed to the third step of the podium.

      Alonso finished ninth, earning points for the second time this season.

      In two weeks, the battle will continue with the stage in the royal park of Monza!

      Race results

      | Driver | Team | Time | Speed | Pit |

      | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

      | 1. L. Norris | McLaren | 2:04:44.859 | 147.461 | 3 |

      | 2. K. Antonelli | Mercedes | +11.536 | 147.234 | 4 |

      | 3. G. Russell | Mercedes | +15.906 | 147.149 | 3 |

      | 4. L. Hamilton | Ferrari | +16.755 | 147.132 | 3 |

      | 5. C. Leclerc | Ferrari | +17.258 | 147.122 | 4 |

      | 6. O. Piastri | McLaren | +32.332 | 146.827 | 4 |

      | 7. L. Lawson* | Red Bull | +79.915 | 145.904 | 3 |

      | 8. N. Hülkenberg | Audi | +1 lap | 144.716 | 3 |

      | 9. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | +1 lap | 144.479 | 2 |

      | 10. P. Gasly | Alpine | +1 lap | 144.455 | 3 |

      | 11. Y. Ts