Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s tyre troubles at Zandvoort meant Lando Norris made it back-to-back wins in 2026. Right here’s how the drivers fared on the System 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
The reigning F1 World Champion prevailed over the established pecking order on both facet of the summer time break after beating championship chief Antonelli to the race win on the closing Dutch GP.
Lando Norris: 9.5
Grid Place: P1, Race Consequence: P1
Norris bucked the development of Mercedes dominance from Friday and the dash race on Sunday by securing pole place with a stellar Q3 efficiency for the 72-lap race on Sunday.
Come race day, the Briton bolted off on the first begin, however his benefit was shortly neutralised after Max Verstappen’s second lap shunt referred to as out the Crimson Flag.
After an aborted restart, when the race lastly received underway once more, Norris, regardless of being on the grippier Comfortable tyres, couldn’t cease Antonelli from diving down the within at Flip 1 and into the lead.
McLaren’s resolution to increase his penultimate stint finally paid off, with Antonelli burning his tyres within the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26 whereas the Briton stored sufficient life in his to make the decisive transfer for the lead.
On the chequered flag, Norris accomplished a stellar restoration drive, ending 11 seconds forward of the Mercedes, albeit one he wouldn’t have wanted to embark on if he had managed to maintain the nostril of his MCL40 forward on the restart.
Oscar Piastri: 6.5
Grid Place: P4, Race Consequence: P6
The Australian has been on the again foot towards his team-mate Norris all through the 2026 season. That didn’t change at Zandvoort.
Whereas Norris slotted his MCL40 on pole, Piastri may solely handle the second-row with the fourth-fastest lap of Q3.
The race promised to be a greater outing for the McLaren driver as he made a daring move on George Russell within the opening laps after the restart to maneuver into the rostrum locations.
Working as excessive as P3, a gradual pit cease, making an attempt to cowl for Russell’s undercut try, nonetheless, noticed him plummet down the order. A double move by the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton in as many laps, later within the race, left the Australian excessive and dry by way of the arsenal required to problem the entrance runners once more.
Even a late-race name to bolt on the Comfortable tyres for a dash to the end couldn’t assist Piastri yield something greater than sixth on the chequered flag.
Kimi Antonelli: 7.5
Grid Place: P3, Race Consequence: P2
Antonelli had been struggling for one-lap tempo all through the race weekend at Zandvoort. Qualifying on Saturday was robust, nonetheless, as he received himself inside a tenth-and-a-half of polesitter Norris.
The Crimson Flag restart noticed the 19-year-old pounce on the fractionally slow-moving MCL40 of Norris to grab the lead away.
Given how essential observe place is at Zandvoort, Antonelli was then capable of set up himself within the lead, regardless of Norris searching him down each step of the way in which.
The decisive second of the race, for the Mercedes driver, got here behind the errant SF-26 of the person he had changed on the German marque final yr.
Observe place was not sufficient for Antonelli towards soiled air from Hamilton, consuming away at his tyres, and a fast-charging Norris respiratory down his neck with a tyre benefit of his personal.
That mentioned, whereas he relinquished the lead, his second-placed end means he heads into the race weekend at Monza by extending his lead within the championship to 59 factors.
George Russell: 7
Grid Place: P2, Race Consequence: P3
The race weekend at Zandvoort was a story of two halves for Russell. After dash pole and a commanding dash win, all of it seemingly slipped away from the Briton.
Slotting himself onto the second-row of the grid, he misplaced a spot to his team-mate Antonelli on the preliminary begin. On the Crimson Flag restart, the Mercedes driver misplaced one more place to Piastri on the opening lap.
The McLaren driver’s gradual pit cease finally allowed Russell again into the fray. He was working as excessive as P2, however with Antonelli on a divergent technique and theoretically combating for the win, Mercedes needed to ask Russell to maneuver over for the Italian within the dying embers of the race.
The swap did put Hamilton proper on the gearbox of his former Mercedes team-mate, however a late-race VSC and a few staunch defensive driving meant Russell rounded off the ultimate Dutch GP podium.
Lewis Hamilton: 7
Grid Place: P5, Race Consequence: P4
Hamilton was instrumental in how the struggle for the race lead panned out. Sadly for him, a hesitant Ferrari pit wall value him an actual shot at a podium end.
On an offset technique to team-mate Leclerc, and on his gearbox, the Maranello-based group weren’t capable of orchestrate a swap shortly sufficient for Hamilton to have any lasting affect along with his tyres behind the Mercedes of Russell within the dying embers of the 72-lap race.
A stable haul of factors for the seven-time World Champion that noticed him retain P2 within the championship. That mentioned, heading into Monza, the Briton fell an additional 9 factors adrift of championship chief Antonelli.
Charles Leclerc: 7
Grid Place: P6, Race Consequence: P5
Leclerc was embroiled in a battle with the second-quickest McLaren and Mercedes for almost all of the race. In actuality, the technique that Ferrari had put him on meant, on observe, he was maybe the second-quickest SF-26 as nicely.
Whereas he did make some helpful strikes on Piastri and Russell, respectively, the Monegasque was down on pure tempo and by no means actually did have the delta required to make essential strikes on the twisty and slim tarmac of Zandvoort to hold a tyre benefit in direction of the entrance of the sector.
Like Hamilton, the silver lining for Leclerc, heading into Monza, could be the truth that he has scored a stable haul of factors for the group within the Constructors’ Championship.
Liam Lawson: 8
Grid Place: P8, Race Consequence: P7
Lawson totally impressed on his second debut for the Milton-Keynes-based group.
On Saturday, the Kiwi driver’s quickest Q3 try was simply over a tenth off his team-mate, Verstappen. This meant he began a Grand Prix for Crimson Bull from the grid for the primary time.
Within the race, Lawson wasn’t afraid to get his elbows out towards the four-time World Champion, both. On the opening lap, he made a daring try to tackle Verstappen from the skin out of Flip 3.
Whereas he wasn’t capable of make the transfer stick, it confirmed simply how a lot he had matured as a driver – teeming with confidence regardless of his acrimonious exit from the group two races into 2025.
On the chequered flag, he scored his first F1 factors as a Crimson Bull driver. A powerful feat given how wanting discover he had needed to bounce into the RB22, masking for the injured Isack Hadjar.
Max Verstappen: N/A
Grid Place: P7, Race Consequence: DNF
Verstappen headed into the Dutch GP weekend off the again of a stellar P2 on the Hungaroring, simply earlier than the summer time break.
With F1 internet hosting its final race at Zandvoort for the foreseeable future, it appeared just like the Dutchman was on the cusp of pulling off a sensational outcome out of the hat in his trademark Verstappen-esque fashion.
That considerably petered out after qualifying on Saturday, because the 28-year-old was solely capable of pull off the seventh-fastest lap of the top-10 shootout.
However the race itself resulted in probably the most anticlimactic manner attainable. Verstappen took to a moist patch on a drying observe on the closing banked nook, and a snap then despatched him barreling in direction of the obstacles and out of what might be his closing house GP.
Nico Hulkenberg: 8.5
Grid Place: P13, Race Consequence: P8
It was as if his nearly unattainable save on the primary lap, when his team-mate Bortoleto spun round 360 levels and offered the German driver with a plume of smoke to navigate via, wasn’t sufficient for the spotlight reel, as Hulkenberg then went on to drive a elegant race at Zandvoort to take P8 on the chequered flag.
Audi have began knocking on the doorways of the higher echelons of the midfield, and regardless of a mid-season hunch towards his youthful team-mate, Hulkenberg as soon as once more proved it to anybody doubting his credentials because the chief inside the Hinwil-based outfit.
Gabriel Bortoleto: 6
Grid Place: P9, Race Consequence: P13
Whereas his team-mate busy along with his opening lap heroics, Bortoleto struggled for outright tempo within the sister Audi.
The Brazilian racing driver discovered appreciable single-lap tempo over Hulkenberg, however his race was slowed down with mishaps.
However his spin, Bortoleto discovered himself plummeting down the order on the first begin after a gradual getaway off the road.
And whereas Hulkenberg was capable of rating factors for the group from his P13 grid slot, Bortoleto didn’t even come near threatening the factors – one thing he wouldn’t respect in hindsight given the proximity of Audi’s package deal to the entrance of the midfield battle in 2026.
Fernando Alonso: 9
Grid Place: P18, Race Consequence: P9
Cometh the hour, cometh Fernando Alonso. After Aston Martin’s b-spec AMR26 debuted on the Hungaroring, the Silverstone-based group wanted to know if the enhancements seen at Hungary had been an indication of progress or simply one-off blips.
Alonso’s drive from 18th on the grid and into the factors has answered a whole lot of these questions. Not solely did Alonso rating Aston Martin’s first factors of the season on tempo (he did classify tenth at Monaco after software of post-race penalties) but additionally vindicated Adrian Newey.
The incremental upgrades to the AMR26 this weekend, with Alonso strapped into the cockpit, have now remoted the Honda energy unit because the package deal’s weakest hyperlink – one thing that the Japanese car giants have been working onerous on to enhance.
Again in 2023, Alonso took P2 at Zandvoort. However should you’d ask him, he would cherish the 2 factors he’s scored this weekend over something he has achieved with Aston Martin to this point.
Lance Stroll: N/A
Grid Place: P19, Race Consequence: DNF
There have been starkly completely different moods on both facet of the Aston Martin storage. Whereas Alonso received his AMR26 into the factors, Stroll’s afternoon was doomed to start with as he picked up “large injury” on his automobile within the opening laps.
Whereas he did attempt to energy on, the group determined to tug the plug on his miseries on Lap 45 because the Canadian racing driver dove into the pits and retired from the Dutch GP.
Pierre Gasly: 7
Grid Place: P11, Race Consequence: P10
Gasly was fitted with the upgraded parts on his A526 this weekend, along with his team-mate Franco Colapinto scheduled to obtain his improve package deal at Monza.
After a robust dash displaying, nonetheless, Gasly couldn’t muster any greater than P10 on the chequered flag.
Regardless of an upgraded automobile beneath him, the Frenchman shortly discovered himself missing towards his midfield rivals at Zandvoort.
On Lap 27, a four-way scrap ensued between Gasly, Hulkenberg, Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz, with the Alpine driver dropping out large time and dropping right down to twelfth within the melee.
On the next lap, 2026 debutant Yuki Tsunoda additionally discovered his well beyond the Frenchman. Regardless of a “irritating” center half to the 72-lap race, Gasly did get himself again into the factors for the primary time since Silverstone.
Franco Colapinto: 6
Grid Place: P14, Race Consequence: P14
Regardless of driving with out upgrades at Zandvoort, the Argentinian driver was in proximity to his team-mate by way of lap occasions heading into the 72-lap race.
Colapinto was additionally working within the factors earlier than a yellow flag infringement earned him a drive-through penalty and “compromised” his night.
The Alpine driver was caught up within the Max Verstappen shunt, the place, below yellow flags, he handed the Racing Bulls of Tsunoda.
With the penalty, Colapinto was solely capable of take the chequered flag in 14th.
Yuki Tsunoda: 7.5
Grid Place: P12, Race Consequence: P11
Tsunoda didn’t fail to impress along with his first outing in an F1 automobile in 2026.
After his Crimson Bull dismissal on the finish of final season, the doorways have seemingly began closing on the Japanese racing driver for a return to the paddock.
However Isack Hadjar’s summer time break wrist damage meant Tsunoda received one likelihood to show his salt. And show, he did.
In solely his first try at driving a wholly new technology of automobile, he was on the tempo from the get-go. Ending simply exterior the points-paying positions shouldn’t uninteresting an in any other case stable efficiency by the 26-year-old.
Arvid Lindblad: 6.5
Grid Place: P10, Race Consequence: P12
Lindblad, very like Colapinto, received himself in sizzling water with the stewards for a yellow flag infringement after Verstappen’s crash.
The British-Swedish driver was handed a drive-through penalty, which finally meant he may solely take the chequered flag in twelfth, and in addition penalty factors on his superlicense.
Not the beginning he would have wished to the second half of the season.
Sergio Perez: 6
Grid Place: P22, Race Consequence: P15
The Mexican racing driver discovered himself in no man’s land after a pit lane begin to the Dutch GP.
He took the chequered flag in fifteenth, however that was after accounting for as many as six DNFs, together with that of his team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Perez completed two laps behind the leaders, and by his personal admission, Cadillac are round “half a second to a second” off the midfield’s tempo.
Valtteri Bottas: N/A
Grid Place: P21, Race Consequence: DNF
Bottas suffered his sixth DNF of the 2026 season as a hydraulics subject pressured him to retire from the race.
Together with his team-mate Perez additionally ending solely second-last of the labeled finishers, Cadillac are the one group in 2026 who’re but to attain an F1 championship level.
Carlos Sainz: 4
Grid Place: P17, Race Consequence: P16
Sainz had one more race to neglect with Williams in 2026. Off the again of a multi-year contract extension, the least that the Spaniard may have hoped for was a weekend with no embarrassing incidents.
That mentioned, it didn’t assist his trigger when he locked up into Flip 1, rammed into his personal team-mate, and was the eventual reason for Alex Albon’s retirement from the Dutch GP.
Sainz’s pointless streak has now prolonged to seven consecutive races, and his culpability within the incident with Albon can also be responsible for denying Williams an opportunity to finish its personal pointless streak subsisting since Barcelona.
Alex Albon: N/A
Grid Place: P16, Race Consequence: DNF
The British-Thai driver sadly received crossed up along with his personal team-mate Sainz, resulting in substantial flooring injury that meant he needed to retire from the race.
However, the FW48, in its present type, by no means actually seemed like making an impression, particularly on a observe like Zandvoort.
The one factor Albon will take away from the race weekend could be his one-lap tempo, however the qualifying head-to-head for the Grove-based group nonetheless is 3-9 in favour of Sainz.
Oliver Bearman: N/A
Grid Place: P20, Race Consequence: DNF
Bearman’s Dutch GP ended earlier than it may even correctly start.
On the lap to the grid after the Crimson Flag, the Briton’s Ferrari PU simply “switched off”, leaving him stranded and out of the race utterly.
Esteban Ocon: N/A
Grid Place: P15, Race Consequence: DNF
Ocon rounded off a bitterly disappointing double DNF for Haas, as he was pressured to retire from the Dutch GP after the Banbury-based group suffered its first reliability gremlins of 2026.
That mentioned, the laps that the Frenchman was capable of put in noticed his VF-26 wrestle massively with tyre degradation.
Naturally, it was one more tough outing for Ocon, who would possibly really feel let down with how the season has panned out to this point for him and Haas.
READ MORE – Lando Norris romps to 2026 F1 Dutch GP win