ZANDVOORT, The Netherlands — Reigning world champion Lando Norris has taken his second consecutive Formula 1 victory, winning Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix at the Zandvoort Circuit.
The British McLaren driver defeated Kimi Antonelli to the win, while home favorite Max Verstappen suffered a dramatic crash that resulted in the race being red-flagged.
After Norris initially led away from pole position at the start, the race was halted just one lap later when Verstappen lost the rear of his Red Bull and hit the wall heavily. The Dutchman fortunately reported that he was OK.
When the action resumed, Antonelli made a flying start to overtake Norris for the lead and from there stretched out a lead – but as the race entered its final third, Norris made ground and retook the position from the Mercedes.
A late Virtual Safety Car – called due to Esteban Ocon’s Haas stopping out on track – resulted in a number of drivers pitting including Antonelli, setting up for a potential chase to the end as both Norris and George Russell in front of him had not stopped for fresh tires.
While the Silver Arrows inverted their cars to release Antonelli into second, Norris would prove unbeatable at the front and crossed the line with an 11.536-second margin over the championship leader.
“The move was good. I knew I wasn’t going to get many chances. Every lap I spent behind [Antonelli], my odds were getting lower and lower,” Norris said. “I saw Lewis defended and I knew that was my moment.
“I did a couple of clicks on my brake balance. I knew I was going to commit to the braking and that move won me the race. Just well-played on my part. I knew I had to make it and I probably had one chance to really make it happen and I made the most of it.”
Russell, meanwhile, just sealed the final spot on the podium in third, having fended off the chasing Ferraris to the very end.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had to settle for fourth and fifth, respectively, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claiming sixth.
Liam Lawson placed seventh as the sole Red Bull to finish, the New Zealander keeping the position despite a 10-second time penalty for a yellow flag infringement.
