Norris Wins Again, 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 and also won the race upon returning to the track at 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 on to 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 unharmed. 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 swap of positions. In the final three laps, Russell had to fight tooth and nail to fend off attacks from Lewis Hamilton, managing to hold on to the third step of the podium.
Charles Leclerc finished fifth, delivering a solid race in the Ferrari SF-26. The Monegasque driver finished ahead of Oscar Piastri, who crossed the finish line in sixth place 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 a collision 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, averting 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.
