Finlay McSporran
Published: 18:42 23 August 2026
Formula 1 signed off in style, but the Dutch fans will be left disappointed after a nightmare race for their home hero.
Race Report
A rain shower before the race resulted in a tentative opening lap.
With the track drying up, all the drivers opted to start on slicks for the 72 lap race.
Pole – sitter Lando Norris held the lead, as Championship leader, Kimi Antionelli, moved up into second at the expense of his teammate, George Russel.
Just when it looked like everyone had survived the damp conditions however, home hero Max Verstappen lost the rear of his Redbull at the final corner.
The Dutchman’s car hit the wall, spilling debris all over the circuit and taking himself out of the race on the opening lap. It’s a horrible turn of events at what will probably be his last home Grand Prix.
He wasn’t the only one that spun.
Gabrielle Bortoleto lost control of his Audi at the same corner, spinning the car 360°, and amazingly, managed to avoid any contact and stay in the race.
The red flag was thrown to allow the debris to be cleared.
Half an hour later, the drivers were ready to take the start once again. However, the Haas of Esteban Ocon came to a halt on the formation lap.
After a second formation lap, the race resumed.
Antionelli was quick on the restart once again, taking the lead of Norris, as Russel lost another place this time to George Russel.
Things would settle down until the first round of pit stops on lap 21, where a slow stop for Piastri cost him third place to Russel.
The Australian continued to struggle, as he was passed by the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Out front, it looked like Antionelli had everything settled, holding a small but steady lead over Norris who had “nothing else” left.
Meanwhile, a terrific battle was going on in the midfield for best of the rest.
Nico Hulkenberg looked to be the quickest midfielder, but had to battle against the likes of Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso and the returning Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver was putting on quite the show, as he filled the vacant seat at Racing Bulls.
The occupant of which, Liam Lawson, was also having a decent race, as he stood in at Redbull for the injured Isack Hadjar.
Mercedes kicked off the second round of pit stops on lap 40, double – stacking both drivers for the hard tyre till the end.
The McLarens followed suit, with Norris coming out of the pits five seconds behind Antionelli.
As Leclerc slipped back, he was soon caught by his teammate.
That frustrated Hamilton who felt he was being held up, saying sarcastically: “Great way of wasting time guys. Good Job.”
Leclerc eventually pitted on lap 43, but Hamilton’s race didn’t get much easier. As the drivers around him made their final stops, Ferrari left him out on the hards.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris, who seemed out of it earlier on, was demolishing the gap to Antionelli.
The Briton had stopped seven laps later than the Italian, which gave him a tyre offset which he was using to good advanatge.
Hamilton continued to be frustrated by his teams decision making, saying: “Are you using me as a guinea pig or what… how long will you have me stay out?”
Whether he liked it or not, he was now a factor in this race, as he was rapidly being caught by Norris and Antionelli.
What was a five second gap on lap 47, was now less than a second by lap 51.
Norris was clearly the quicker car, and it seemed only a matter of time until he passed Antionelli.
But first, they both had to clear Hamilton.
On lap 54, Antionelli had a look up the inside of Hamilton into turn one but couldn’t get close enough.
However, that left him exposed, and Norris took full advantage, going round the outside to take second.
That soon became third, as he passed Hamilton the same lap.
But there was still more drama to come. The virtual safety car was deployed on lap 55 after the remaining Hass of Esteban Ocon pulled to the side of the track, resulting in a double DNF for the American team.
The Ferrari’s took full advantage, bringing in Lewis and Charles for the soft tyre.
Antionelli also pitted, leaving Russel in second with 15 laps to go, albeit on older tyres.
The chase was on. Despite Russel’s pleas to hold position and bring home the double podium, the team opted to go against him.
Instead, they ordered him to let his younger teammate, and championship rival past. Brutal.
George complied, but with Antionelli already disappearing out of sight, he was left to fend off the two Ferrari’s all by himself for the remaining five laps.
Norris took the win, his second in a row, delivering another champions performance.
The ever consistent Antionelli took another podium (his tenth of the season) with second, extending his championship lead.
And Russel managed to hold off Hamilton for third, overtaking his countryman for second in the standings.
Other notable finishers include Liam Lawson, who finished seventh on his return to Redbull, and Fernando Alonso, who finished ninth to secure Aston Martin their second points finish of the season.
Results:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 2:4:44.859 | 25 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +11.536s | 18 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | +15.906s | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +16.755s | 12 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +17.258s | 10 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +32.332s | 8 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | +79.915s | 6 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2 laps | 0 |
| 15 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +2 laps | 0 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2 laps | 0 |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | Williams | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Esteban Ocon | Haas | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Oliver Bearman | Haas | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | DNF | 0 |
Lando Norris (1) said: “Probably one of my better wins – we had to fight for it well but the pace was strong.
“We managed things incredibly well today so (I’m) over the moon, very happy. Nice to win the final race here in Zandvoort.”
Kimi Antionelli (2) said: “I think it was one of the weekends where I felt the least confident with the car overall.
“But still, I think today what really saved us were the starts. Two good starts, and managed to gain places in both.
“Also George did a great, great job. He was a great team player today.”
George Russel (3) said: “I come away from this weekend as a whole satisfied – it’s been my best weekend for quite a while.
“Considering that as a team we’re not as dominant as we once were, this weekend I definitely would’ve taken P1 yesterday and P3 today.”
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