By: Our hopes were fulfilled. The Dutch GP may not have been dramatically affected by rain, but it still delivered plenty of action and unpredictability, far more than the Sprint Race. Naturally, Verstappen’s red flag and several retirements/incidents that required Virtual Safety Car interventions played their part.
Unfortunately, Max was forced to retire from the race early, at the start of the second lap, due to an error of judgement. By his own admission, he thought he could accelerate safely; instead, having ended up on a damp section of track, he lost control of the car and hit the barriers. Not the best way to bid farewell to the final edition of his home Grand Prix.
Norris wins, demonstrating the major step forward made by McLaren ahead of the Mercedes cars of Antonelli and Russell. Cars that are suffering greatly from a continued lack of upgrades. Ferrari finish fourth and fifth, victims of qualifying below their potential and excessive misfortune with the Virtual Safety Cars. Today’s disappointing result is not entirely down to Saturday and the decisions made on the pit wall; however, perhaps they could have taken more risks. We will discuss that in depth after the recap.
All the strategies
We had hoped for a two-stop race, but instead we saw predominantly four-stop strategies and, in some cases, even five. That made the GP unpredictable all the way to the end of the 72 laps (there were as many as 60 pit stops). As Verstappen’s red flag came after the second lap, we will count one fewer stop in our race analysis, but for strategic purposes it is right that they are all mentioned.
Given the considerable number of tyre changes and the strategic variety, we will not set out every type of tactic in detail as usual. For that, we ask you to look at the graph below. What we will do is highlight the most successful or particularly interesting strategies.
Retired drivers: Albon (Williams), Bottas (Cadillac), Perez (Cadillac), Stroll (Aston Martin), Bearman (Haas), Verstappen (Red Bull).
Norris’ second consecutive victory
Although they appeared to be on almost identical strategies, at least until Norris overtook Antonelli on lap 54 of 72, the two drivers approached the middle phase of the race very differently. Lando opted to line up on used Softs for the second restart, while Kimi was on used Mediums. The Italian made the better getaway and beat the reigning world champion off the line.
Andrea managed his first stint well: both drivers pitted on exactly the same lap, but then adopted different approaches over the following two Hard-tyre stints. Antonelli used his first set of C2s for only 19 laps without being particularly faster than Norris, while Lando extended his stint to 26 laps. That meant he also had better pace in the second stint thanks to fresher tyres, and on lap 54 he produced a superb overtake that would allow him to target victory. So, when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed during lap 55, all he had to do was keep going. A decision that earned him victory by 11.5 seconds over Antonelli.
Kimi, meanwhile, took advantage of the VSC to fit used Softs. He finished second thanks in part to team-mate Russell, who did not resist the overtake and in fact facilitated it, putting third place at risk. George, on Hard tyres fitted around lap 40, managed to keep the two Ferrari drivers on used Softs behind him.
A lion-hearted drive
Before analysing Ferrari’s race, there is another performance that deserves our attention: that of Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin. Encouraging signs are coming from the Netherlands. The new car introduced in Hungary and the new Honda engine specification that debuted at Zandvoort have the potential to fight for points. The Spaniard is proof of that. Starting 18th, he made the most of every opportunity to gain positions.
Having fitted a new set of Soft tyres for his second appearance on the grid after the red flag, he chose to complete the race with just one further stop. He produced a long first stint on Softs of 32 laps, before finishing with a 37-lap stint on Hards.
A masterclass in tyre management that allowed him to finish ninth. In other words, behind Hulkenberg alone, considering the top seven was occupied by drivers from the top teams. Alonso today, having started, we repeat, 18th, beat Alpine, VCARB, Cadillac and Williams, who moreover scored an own goal at the end: they were still running 14th and 15th. Aston Martin leave the Netherlands with renewed momentum. Fernando Alonso may have found his reason to remain in Formula 1 a little longer.
Ferrari had the pace. What is missing is completeness and a shiver down the spine
Once again, Ferrari’s result today proved a huge disappointment for the fans. Leaving aside the first stint, in which Russell, Leclerc and Hamilton found themselves stuck in a train led by Piastri, Leclerc was almost always the fastest driver on track in the remaining stints, while Hamilton posted times very close to those of the Monegasque.
When the VSC emerged on lap 54, Leclerc was fifth, 2.3 seconds behind Russell and with a distinctly better pace. Hamilton was third, on very old Hard tyres, having just been passed by Norris and Antonelli.
Had he chosen to stay out for a long time on that set of tyres, he would have been fighting Russell for P3; instead, by returning to the pits with Hamilton, he had to push very hard and still finished fifth. With the pace he had, he should have taken the risk. Lewis had to pit, but Charles did not. At worst, he would have finished fifth anyway, passed by his team-mate in the pits, but he would have tried. With Leclerc, they needed to take the risk and see how it went. Today was the right day to do it. Sometimes you have to listen to that shiver running down your spine and dare.
That said, I still do not feel like placing too much blame on the team. The VSC on lap 54 was a hammer blow for Leclerc, but then the one two laps from the end also played its part. Both Hamilton and the Monegasque had recovered all the deficit and were attacking George in an attempt to snatch the podium from him. Hamilton, ahead of Charles and helped by the different strategy – it was the VSC on lap 54 that allowed him to pass his team-mate – was about to attack Russell when the two Williams cars collided, forcing the stewards to deploy the final VSC. An incident that allowed George to catch his breath and finish on the podium.
Ferrari are not entirely to blame today, but they played it safe. They must take more risks, especially when the pace allows it. At times, it seems as though they are afraid of making a mistake, and that can limit the team more than any upgrade to discard. Taking risks is an art. Fear is right, because it gives us a sense of risk, but you have to know how to do it. And to aim high, you have to learn to do it well.
Pirelli’s post-race thoughts
Words from Pirelli Motorsport director following the GP: "The final race at the Zandvoort circuit gave us plenty of unpredictability. The weather conditions played an important role, with the downpour before the start returning the track to a greener state. Degradation proved significant, aided by the greater wear caused by the track surface conditions. After the stint following the restart, the teams immediately understood that the conditions would not allow them to remain competitive with a one-stop strategy."
"After the first red flag, almost ten different strategies emerged," continued Dario Marrafuschi, "with significant differences even between the top teams. We witnessed a very interesting Grand Prix from a strategic perspective. The teams were able to exploit the characteristics of each compound, all of which proved effective in specific conditions. Emblematic in this respect was the use of the red-walled tyre by Antonelli and the two Ferrari drivers at the end of the race to make up ground on their direct rivals and, in the Italian’s case, even gain a position on his team-mate."
Cover and interior photos: Ferrari
Graphics: Pirelli
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Dutch GP 2026
