By: After a closely fought qualifying session, it is time to return to the track at Zandvoort: let’s take a look at the key moments from the race just concluded.
The start
The track is damp following a heavy pre-race shower, prompting the FIA to run the formation lap behind the Safety Car in order to assess the circuit conditions. When the lights go out, Norris retains the lead while Antonelli gets ahead of Russell to move into second place. A superb start for Antonelli, who climbs as high as fourth. Hamilton and Verstappen battle, with contact between the pair but no consequences.
On lap 3 of 72, however, the Dutchman suffers a major accident at the banked corner before the straight: after hitting the wet kerb, the #3 loses control of his heavily damaged RB22. Verstappen is unharmed, but given the location of the impact, other cars could also have been involved, with far more serious consequences. The Dutchman’s home race ends in huge disappointment. Red flag. Bortoleto has a similar moment, completing a 360-degree spin: remarkably, the Brazilian manages to hold onto the car and remain on track.
The restart
The Federation opts for a standing restart, but it is delayed by one lap because Bearman’s VF-26 is forced to retire with a problem. When the lights go out again, Antonelli overtakes Norris to take the lead; Russell has a poor getaway and drops to fourth. Piastri also makes an excellent start, moving up to third. Leclerc and Hamilton struggle, running fifth and sixth respectively. Looking briefly at the tyre choices, the Mercedes pair have opted for mediums, Norris for softs, as have Leclerc and Hamilton, with the Monegasque choosing a new set that has not paid off so far. Piastri surprises on hards.
Further back, Lawson remains seventh, as do Gasly and Hulkenberg, while Tsunoda is tenth. Lindblad and Colapinto both have their races to rebuild after being penalised for breaching yellow-flag conditions.
The first pit stops begin: Russell struggles
Leclerc tries to attack Russell but cannot make the move stick. The Mercedes driver, struggling for pace, decides to pit on lap 18 of 72 to fit hard tyres. Piastri comes in on the following lap and rejoins behind Russell in sixth. Leclerc and Hamilton therefore move up to third and fourth. Meanwhile, Antonelli holds a two-and-a-half-second gap over Norris.
On lap 21 of 72, Antonelli (hards), Norris (hards) and Leclerc (mediums) pit, leaving Hamilton as the new race leader. On lap 22 of 72, the top 10 is: HAM-ANT-NOR-RUS-PIA-LEC-ALB-ALO-LAW-SAI. Hamilton pits on lap 25, rejoining in seventh on hard tyres. The battle for tenth between Hulkenberg, Lindblad, Tsunoda and Gasly is extremely close.
Double Ferrari move
Charles Leclerc begins his climb towards the podium: his feel for the medium tyres is clearly much better, and the Monegasque’s lap times so far speak for themselves. On lap 34 of 72, he produces a superb move on Oscar Piastri to rise to fourth; a few metres further on, Hamilton takes advantage of the Australian’s weakness, attacking him at the end of the straight.
Leclerc continues to close the gap to Russell. On lap 40 of 72, Antonelli and Russell pit for hard tyres, rejoining in fourth and sixth respectively. Leclerc comes in four laps later and rejoins behind Russell. Piastri makes the same choice and returns to the track in sixth. A few laps later, it is Norris’s turn to pit, rejoining in third, while Hamilton chooses to stay out and becomes the new race leader.
Adrenaline-filled final laps
Once back on track, Norris shows truly remarkable pace, while Antonelli is in serious difficulty: the Briton closes the gap to the Bologna-born driver, who has to defend, as does Hamilton, who is at that stage the only driver in the top five yet to make his second stop. Norris attacks Antonelli at Turn 1 on lap 54 of 72 and Hamilton at Turn 11, becoming Dutch Grand Prix leader once again. On the following lap, Antonelli passes Hamilton to move into second: the Briton takes advantage of the Virtual Safety Car to pit for his second stop. The VSC is caused by Esteban Ocon, stopped on track in his Haas: a disastrous outcome for the American team this weekend.
Under the VSC, Leclerc, Piastri and Antonelli also pit. On lap 57 of 72, the top 10 is: NOR-RUS-ANT-HAM-LEC-PIA-LAW-HUL-ALO-TSU. The race resumes on the following lap. In the closing stages, Norris leads the field by as much as 11 seconds, while Mercedes orchestrates a sensational position swap between Russell and Antonelli, with the Briton bewildered by the team’s decision; the #63 then comes under attack from Hamilton and Leclerc, who has meanwhile closed in on the pair.
At the chequered flag, Lando Norris wins and takes a superb victory in the Netherlands, closing the gap in the championship battle. Antonelli finishes second ahead of Russell, who also benefits from a brief late VSC and avoids an attack from Hamilton, who finishes fourth ahead of Leclerc. In the midfield, Lawson delivers a strong performance in seventh, but Hulkenberg and Alonso impress most of all in eighth and ninth respectively. The Racing Bulls pair leave empty-handed: below is the full classification.
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Dutch GP 2026
