Lando Norris received back-to-back races in 2026 for the primary time, after a mid-race technique masterclass from McLaren handed him the Formulation 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris made it back-to-back wins for the primary time in 2026 because the Briton took the chequered flag in first after an exciting 72-lap race at Zandvoort.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who led a lot of the ultimate Dutch GP after the Crimson Flag restart, couldn’t hold maintain of his tyres as he relinquished an opportunity at victory.
His team-mate George Russell fended off a late-race cost from Lewis Hamilton to spherical off the rostrum.
Contents
How the race unfolded
The 5 lights went out at Zandvoort for one last time as Lando Norris bolted off the road and held onto his lead. Behind him, Russell struggled below traction as his team-mate Antonelli acquired him into Flip 1.
Additional again, the Crimson Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson acquired their elbows out, because the Kiwi driver tried an audacious transfer on the surface of the four-time World Champion out of Flip 3.
However Verstappen’s staunch defence got here to nought as a moist patch on the within of the ultimate banked nook caught him out, sending him barreling in direction of the boundaries and out of his last residence race. A heartbreaking shunt for the Dutchman, which referred to as out the Crimson Flag on Lap 3.
Gabriel Bortoleto had his personal second behind Verstappen’s RB22 however stored his Audi out of hurt’s method.
Norris led the pack into the pit lane, adopted by Antonelli, Russell, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
The FIA additionally stored themselves busy through the Crimson Flag interval as many drivers, together with Arvid Lindblad (he obtained a drive-through penalty) and Franco Colapinto, have been famous for yellow flag infringements.
The restart was aborted as Oliver Bearman’s Haas gave up on the lap to the grid, forcing the remaining 20 drivers to go round Zandvoort for an additional formation lap.
When the race did get underway once more, Norris, who had swapped his yellow-walled Mediums for the Softs, couldn’t hold Antonelli at bay, who took the race lead from the McLaren driver.
Russell misplaced one other place to Piastri, because the McLaren driver made a daring go into Flip 7. The Briton was seemingly struggling as he virtually relinquished P4 to Leclerc however held onto it.
By Lap 9, the highest 5 had stabilised with rain threatening to hit the observe as soon as once more. Antonelli led Norris, adopted by Piastri, Russell and Leclerc.
Leclerc stored himself pinned to the gearbox of the dash race winner Russell, making an attempt to implement his tyre benefit over the Mercedes driver.
On Lap 13, the gray clouds had began looming giant over Zandvoort once more. Antonelli had eked out a 1.7s hole to Norris. His team-mate Piastri, on the Hards, was in third, virtually 5 seconds adrift.
In the meantime, the battle for P4 noticed Leclerc proceed his cost, inside a second of Russell and likewise pulling his team-mate Lewis Hamilton together with him.
Lawson was comfortably forward of the chasing pack in seventh, within the solitary RB22, with Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda rounding off the highest 10.
Fernando Alonso seemingly benefitted from the opening section chaos, working thirteenth and on the gearbox of Esteban Ocon – lower than 5 seconds away from the factors.
Lap 17 noticed Leclerc get his first actual alternative to assault Russell into Flip 1. The Mercedes driver made his W17 as huge as doable however couldn’t break free from the Monegasque.
Russell dove into the pits on the next lap, releasing the SF-26 of Leclerc. The Briton got here out of the pits in ninth and into some cussed site visitors from Hulkenberg.
McLaren determined to cowl Russell’s undercut try, pitting Piastri, however a gradual cease noticed all of it fall away from the Australian as he relinquished web P3 to the Mercedes driver.
Antonelli, the one automobile on the Mediums within the prime 5, was, by Lap 21, greater than two seconds away from Norris.
That stated, the main trio of Antonelli, Norris and Leclerc all pitted on the next lap for the white-walled Hards. Each Russell and Piastri jumped Leclerc, who dropped down into web fifth after the spherical of pit stops.
Hamilton assumed the lead of the 72-lap thriller, however the Ferrari driver pitted on Lap 26, popping out in sixth and in clear air – handing the lead again over to championship chief Antonelli.
Additional again, the midfield battle acquired spicy because the likes of Carlos Sainz, Hulkenberg, Gasly and Lindblad scrapped lap after lap. The Alpine of Gasly misplaced out, dropping into twelfth.
By Lap 29, Tsunoda had acquired himself onto the again of this squabbling get together, taking P12 away from the Frenchman.
However this allowed Alonso to determine himself in ninth, ten seconds forward of the chasing Williams – en path to Aston Martin’s finest end of 2026 as issues stood.
Leclerc stored harrying the MCL40 of Piastri, forcing the McLaren to put on skinny its Laborious compound of tyres in pursuit of a defence. However on Lap 35, Leclerc acquired by means of, and Hamilton adopted his team-mate previous Piastri on the next lap.
Half-way by means of the Dutch GP, Norris was searching Antonelli for the race lead, separated by lower than a second, adopted by Russell, Leclerc and Hamilton.
Additional down the grid, Lawson, Hulkenberg, Tsunoda and Gasly rounded off the highest 10, as Alonso pitted from eighth, popping out in thirteenth.
Tempers flare at Ferrari as McLaren commences battle of wits towards Mercedes
Norris caught some site visitors in his pursuit of Antonelli, shedding floor to the Italian, however acquired again himself inside a second of the 19-year-old once more by Lap 39.
In the meantime, Leclerc stored making additional inroads into the highest three, chasing Russell for the ultimate podium place.
However Mercedes determined to double-stack its drivers on Lap 41, with the race chief popping out in fourth crucially and forward of Norris’ team-mate Piastri.
Piastri was the meat in a Mercedes sandwich as Russell slotted in behind the Australian in sixth.
That stated, with Russell now out of the way in which, Leclerc couldn’t shrug his team-mate off, who was proper on his gearbox however unable to discover a well beyond.
The Monegasque was suggested to pit however refused, to the ire of Hamilton. “We’re shedding time!,” he vented over the staff radio comms.
Leclerc complied on the next lap, popping out of the pits in sixth however behind the lapped, squabbling pair of Lindblad and Sainz. Hamilton, nonetheless, wasn’t finest happy. “Wonderful means of shedding time, guys. Good job,” he stated.
Piastri made yet one more cease, this time on the Softs, popping out proper behind the Crimson Bull of Lawson, getting previous him on Lap 46.
In the meantime, McLaren had prolonged Norris’ stint by 5 laps already. However he dove into the pits on Lap 48 and got here out behind the 19-year-old with a seven-lap tyre benefit over the Mercedes driver.
Antonelli loses his rears and the Dutch GP win to Lando Norris
With 23 laps to go, Hamilton led the Dutch GP however was but to pit. Antonelli in web P1 was simply over two seconds forward of Norris however with seven-lap-older tyres.
However on Lap 52, Antonelli complained, “I’ve no rears!” as Norris acquired himself into the 19-year-old’s overtake zone. Hamilton was but to pit, additional compounding Antonelli’s miseries within the wake of the soiled air of the SF-26.
The reigning World Champion snatched his lead again on Lap 54 as Antonelli acquired impeded by Hamilton in his defence into Flip 1. However now it was Norris’ flip to eat Hamilton’s soiled air.
However he acquired himself previous Hamilton into the chicane and at last consolidated his lead. The VSC was referred to as out for the stricken Haas of Ocon on the next lap, permitting Hamilton to lastly pit.
The Ferrari driver got here out in fourth, on Softs, his team-mate Leclerc following him into the pits and selecting the Softs as nicely. McLaren, too, opted to pit Piastri onto a set of Comfortable tyres.
The erstwhile race chief Antonelli additionally pitted for a set of Comfortable tyres and slotted into P3. Norris now led the race with Russell in second, however each drivers have been on the Laborious tyres. Mercedes had seemingly turned the tables on McLaren because the VSC ended.
With 12 laps to go, Antonelli had a 12-second deficit to erase over Norris for the race win. Mercedes requested Russell to make method for his team-mate, on Lap 66.
However Norris had stored his buffer; now with six laps to go, he was nonetheless 11 seconds forward of Antonelli. In the meantime, Hamilton’s advances on Russell have been interrupted by a VSC for particles on Lap 70.
On the chequered flag, Norris took his second win of 2026 in as many race weekends. Antonelli got here residence second on the street along with his team-mate Russell rounding off the rostrum.
Heading into the Italian GP, Antonelli holds a 59-point lead over Hamilton and Russell.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix – Race Outcomes