Norris Wins Again at Zandvoort; Antonelli Finishes Second. Ferrari Misses the Podium

Four weeks after his victory in Hungary at the last Grand Prix before the summer break, Lando Norris did it again, winning the race as the series returned to Zandvoort. The reigning world champion, starting from pole position, had to wait a long time, however, before taking the lead in a race initially led by Kimi Antonelli.

The Mercedes driver held the lead in the early stages before Norris stepped up his pace at the decisive moment of a Dutch Grand Prix marked by a particularly eventful start. In fact, the race was halted with a red flag as early as the end of the first lap following an accident involving local hero Max Verstappen, who fortunately emerged unscathed. A flurry of strategies and pit stops then contributed to making the race even more unpredictable.

Behind the winner, Antonelli secured a hard-fought second-place finish, finishing ahead of his teammate George Russell—thanks in part to a team order from the Mercedes pit wall that led to a position swap. In the final three laps, Russell had to fight tooth and nail to fend off attacks from Lewis Hamilton, managing to hold on to third place on the podium.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, having driven a solid race in the Ferrari SF-26. The Monegasque driver finished ahead of Oscar Piastri, who crossed the finish line sixth in the other McLaren, and Liam Lawson, who finished seventh and was the only Red Bull driver to see the checkered flag.

Max Verstappen didn’t even complete a single lap. The four-time world champion’s final appearance in front of his home crowd turned out in the worst possible way. Three turns after the start, Verstappen was involved in contact with his makeshift teammate Lawson. Shortly afterward, he lost control of the Red Bull at Turn 14, the elevated curve leading onto the pit straight.

The car crashed into the outer wall and, after the impact, crossed back onto the track heading toward the inner wall. The field miraculously managed to avoid the Red Bull, preventing far more serious consequences. Fortunately, Verstappen emerged from the crash unharmed, but he had to bid farewell to Zandvoort in the most bitter way possible, in front of his fans.