Formula 1

Lando Norris wins dramatic Dutch GP from Antonelli and Russell after big Verstappen crash

Fraser Masefield
2 months ago
7 min read

Lando Norris won the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort for the foreseeable future, beating Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to the flag after a huge Max Verstappen crash.


The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished fourth and fifth [following a dispute over team tactics] ahead of Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso.

Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten and grabbed the final championship point.

“Amazing. A tough race,” said Norris afterwards. “Yesterday I said I need to put on a bit of a show for everyone for the final race here.

“So, yeah, I made it tough for myself today. But a good race, well fought, probably one of my better wins.”

It was a dramatic afternoon, early rain causing a head scratcher over tyre strategy.

But when the rain cleared and racing got underway, the drying circuit caused Verstappen to lose control and spear into the barriers at the final corner.

The drama didn’t end there, the lead changing regularly due to offset tyre strategies and Safety Car scenarios before Norris finally emerged victorious over championship leader Antonelli.

“Stint one, I felt actually okay,” said second placed Antonelli. “But then from stint two onwards, I just didn’t have the feeling with the car.

“I was sliding a lot overall and Lando passed me and I knew I had no chance after that.

“Then, of course, George was a great team player and really happy for him to hold on to P3 as well. And still, great points.”

SHOP THE LANDO NORRIS WORLD CHAMPION RANGE HERE

A DRAMATIC START

To the delight of the orange army of assembled Verstappen fans braving the conditions, persistent early showers looked like it could be a wet race.

But when the tyre covers came off with the rain abating and track drying, there was an interesting mix – the top four on medium compound Pirellis for a one stopper with Hamilton down to Lindblad on the softs.

It was Norris who led the pack after the short drag into the first corner with Antonelli beating teammate Russell to second.

And it was also a poor start for Hamilton, losing places to teammate Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.

Then early drama. Verstappen involved in a huge crash after losing control in the damp conditions out of the final corner, snapping left into the barrier.

The home hero thankfully emerged unscathed but there would be no fairytale ending in quite possibly his final home race.

SHOP THE MAX VERSTAPPEN RANGE INCLUDING HIS DUTCH GP REPLICA HELMET

ANTONELLI AND MCLARENS MAKE BEST OF RESTART

A free tyre change saw mediums again for the Mercedes duo with new softs for leader Norris and Leclerc and a used set for Hamilton.

Upon the restart, Antonelli got the jump on Norris into Turn 1, Piastri also making his way past a slow starting Russell with a brilliant move and on the hard tyre.

It meant that McLaren was in a perfect strategic position for Piastri to play the long game and hold up the field whilst letting teammate Norris scamper away.

As always, pit stop tactics would prove crucial to the final outcome of the race.


PIT STOP STRATEGY SETS UP THRILLING FINALE

Russell was the first of the big hitters to pit, swooping in for a set of hard tyres on lap 18 to try the undercut.

It put him back out amongst the traffic and also released Leclerc into clear air.

Piastri was first to respond but a slow stop for mediums meant Russell was able to regain his place over the McLaren.

Leader Antonelli and second placed Norris came in on lap 22, triggering a flurry of stops.

Hamilton stayed out, taking the lead of the race momentarily, but the net result was as they were, Antonelli leading from Norris, Russell, Piastri and Leclerc.

Behind the leaders, a battle royale between Lindblad, Tsunoda and Gasly wowed the crowds with some of the best racing of the season.

One final pit stop would ultimately decide the outcome, but not before Leclerc’s mediums came into play, the Monegasque getting past Piastri before Hamilton followed suit.

Antonelli was first to roll the dice, pitting for hards to take him to the end, followed in by Russell – as Mercedes double stacked their drivers.

George Russell leads Lewis Hamilton during the F1 Grand Prix of Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 23, 2026 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

A GRANDSTAND FINISH

It set up a grandstand finale, Norris staying out in an attempt to nail a few laps and get out ahead.

A slow stop for Leclerc put the Ferrari out of podium contention but the race now rested on Norris – a smooth 3.2 second stop on lap 48 putting him out behind Antonelli on net position but with fresher tyres.

It led to a grandstand finish, and Norris had his foot down – catching Antonelli hand over fist but with Hamilton causing a blockage on older tyres.

It didn’t take long for the defending champ long, Norris getting past on lap 54 before dispatching Hamilton moments later.

A Ferrari double stack after a late Virtual Safety Car saw late drama with Antonelli also pitting for softs to mount a late challenge.

But it didn’t matter to Norris, who was able to maintain the gap even on older hard tyres to take a quite brilliant victory as Russell just held off the charging Ferrari duo.

The result means that there have been five different winners in the last five races.

Perhaps it also means Formula One is in rude health in a new generation of racing that has been much scrutinized.

“We had to fight for it, but the pace was very strong and managed things incredibly well today. So over the moon.

“Very, very happy and nice to win the final race here in Zandvoort,” added Norris.

“Obviously, two great weekends, but, yeah, we just need to reset to learn as much as we can.

“I think there’s still plenty of things we can do better and we need to do better if we want to fight for a championship.

“So I’m very pleased with the team, I’m pleased with how much work everyone’s doing and so happy that I can deliver it for them and bring two wins in a row.”

And for Russell, a podium allied to a Sprint victory means he’s still started the second half of the season in rude health and very much in the hunt.

“It was a difficult start for me, obviously losing the position,” reflected Russell.

Dutch Grand Prix, Sunday – Credit Mercedes Official

“These two were very quick at the beginning, then Lando was just exceptionally fast towards the end of the race, so it was tough to hold on to those old tyres.

“Happy to be standing here on the podium because it could have gone either way.”

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Fraser Masefield

Fraser is a sports and motorsports editor with over 25 years experience. The former head editor of WilliamsF1, BMW Motorsport, Jaguar Racing and Virgin Media, he has also worked for Autosport, ESPNF1 and Eurosport amongst others.

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