{"id":1166126,"date":"2026-08-24T06:25:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T06:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1166126\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T06:25:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T06:25:18","slug":"f1-dutch-gp-norris-overhauls-antonelli-for-victory-verstappen-suffers-heavy-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1166126\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Dutch GP: Norris overhauls Antonelli for victory, Verstappen suffers heavy crash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Formula 1 world champion\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/lando-norris\/840487\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Lando Norris<\/a> produced a mega drive to win the Dutch Grand Prix from pole while home hero <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/max-verstappen\/829269\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Max Verstappen<\/a> caused a red flag by crashing out.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/team\/mclaren\/36473\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">McLaren<\/a> driver crossed the line 11.5s ahead of runner-up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/andrea-kimi-antonelli\/953410\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Kimi Antonelli<\/a>, with his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/team\/mercedes\/36495\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Mercedes<\/a> team-mate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/george-russell\/840489\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">George Russell<\/a> completing the podium at Zandvoort.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It came after Norris pipped sprint winner Russell for pole ahead of third-placed\u00a0Antonelli and they all, like the rest of the grid, started on slicks despite rain an hour before lights out.<\/p>\n<p>Read Also:<\/p>\n<p>But the rain was on and off causing a wet-dry surface, the dangers of which emerged at the end of the opening lap once Norris had a perfect getaway while\u00a0Antonelli overtook Russell at Turn 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because\u00a0Verstappen dipped a tyre onto the white line on the inside of the final corner, causing the Red Bull driver to spin into the barrier which spread debris on the circuit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah that\u2019s it &#8211; sorry!,\u201d said the Dutchman via team radio, having brought out the red flag just as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/gabriel-bortoleto\/950453\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Gabriel Bortoleto<\/a> also had a 360-degree spin at the banking but somehow avoided damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So another standing start followed &#8211; after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/oliver-bearman\/876509\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Oliver Bearman<\/a> suffered an engine failure on the formation tour &#8211; and much to Norris\u2019 dismay this time, as Antonelli squeezed by at Turn 1 for the lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/start-action.jpg\" alt=\"Start action\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">Start action<\/p>\n<p class=\"photographer\">Photo by: Clive Rose \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>That was despite softs on the McLaren compared to mediums for Antonelli, who essentially had a double delight as title rival Russell lost third to hard runner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/oscar-piastri\/869530\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Oscar Piastri<\/a> at Turn 7.<\/p>\n<p>Russell just didn\u2019t have the pace, soon being pressurised by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/charles-leclerc\/840485\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Charles Leclerc<\/a> as he reported balance problems, but the tight track allowed him to hold firm before swapping mediums for hards on lap 18.<\/p>\n<p>McLaren responded the previous lap with Piastri, but this backfired as a slow 5.4s stop put him behind Russell just as Antonelli had streaked 2.2s clear of Norris out front.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That gap closed to a second once the pit window &#8211; where all the\u00a0frontrunners chose hard tyres bar Leclerc on mediums &#8211; had passed, yet the reigning champion struggled to make inroads.<\/p>\n<p>The wheel-to-wheel battles were more prevalent lower down:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/yuki-tsunoda\/841444\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Yuki Tsunoda<\/a> came out on top in a mega multi-car fight for the top 10, while Leclerc was constantly on Piastri\u2019s tail.<\/p>\n<p>That little battle finally ended on lap 34 when the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/team\/ferrari\/36466\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ferrari<\/a> and McLaren went through the opening corners wheel-to-wheel, only for Leclerc to edge by for fourth around the outside of Turn 3.<\/p>\n<p>There was yet more misery for\u00a0Piastri as he was overtaken for fifth at Turn 1 on the following tour by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/lewis-hamilton\/829181\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Lewis Hamilton<\/a>, who quickly closed in on team-mate Leclerc.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/charles-leclerc-ferrari-lewis-.jpg\" alt=\"Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari<\/p>\n<p class=\"photographer\">Photo by: Simon Galloway \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The seven-time world champion was angling for team orders but they did not arrive and Hamilton sarcastically told his Ferrari squad: \u201cGreat way of wasting time guys, good job!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hamilton eventually moved by though once\u00a0Leclerc made his second pitstop on lap 43, two tours after the Mercedes duo, and five before Norris came in for another set of hard tyres.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Ferrari kept Hamilton out which left him with first on track, yet the battle for the net lead emerged behind as Norris rapidly closed on\u00a0Antonelli, who complained about his rear Pirellis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So come lap 54 Hamilton,\u00a0Antonelli and Norris were all within a second and the reigning world champion made a sweeping move on Antonelli around the outside of Turn 1.<\/p>\n<p>It was that same lap that Norris subsequently took the actual lead at Turn 11 from Hamilton, who dropped behind\u00a0Antonelli at Turn 1 the following lap &#8211; just as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/esteban-ocon\/840488\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Esteban Ocon<\/a> caused a virtual safety car by stopping at Turn 4.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you using me as a guinea pig,\u201d complained Hamilton, wanting to pit, and that he finally did under the\u00a0VSC by taking softs &#8211; likewise for Antonelli, while Norris and now second-placed Russell stayed out on hard rubber.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Norris admitted he was \u201cworried\u201d by that decision and had reasons to be so, as the advantage of the fresher tyre became evident with\u00a0Antonelli quickly reducing his gap to Russell.<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" draggable=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/andrea-kimi-antonelli-mercedes.jpg\" alt=\"Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes<\/p>\n<p class=\"photographer\">Photo by: Clive Rose \/ Formula 1 via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>Mercedes eventually told the Briton to let his team-mate by with the swap occurring at Turn 1 on lap 65, but this left Russell vulnerable against Hamilton, claiming \u201cwe\u2019ve lost a double podium\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Russell held firm, helped by a brief\u00a0VSC on lap 70 for debris at Turn 5, to take the final podium spot, 4.3s behind Antonelli and 15.8s off Norris who took his second win of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Hamilton finished fourth,\u00a0Leclerc took fifth and Piastri was sixth, while Red Bull stand-in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/liam-lawson\/841994\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Liam Lawson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/team\/audi\/49024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Audi<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/nico-hulkenberg\/829440\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Nico Hulkenberg<\/a>, Aston Martin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/fernando-alonso\/829156\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Fernando Alonso<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/team\/alpine\/39174\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Alpine<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autosport.com\/driver\/pierre-gasly\/840483\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Pierre Gasly<\/a> respectively completed the top 10.<\/p>\n<p>The result has extended\u00a0Antonelli\u2019s championship advantage, as the 19-year-old leaves the Netherlands with a 59-point lead over both Russell and Hamilton in second.<\/p>\n<p>F1 Dutch GP &#8211; Race result<\/p>\n<p>Read Also:<\/p>\n<p>            We want to hear from you!<\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-auto\">Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"#\" class=\"ms-link text-link font-bold\">Take our survey<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-1 text-body\">&#8211; The Autosport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Formula 1 world champion\u00a0Lando Norris produced a mega drive to win the Dutch Grand Prix from pole while&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1166127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[10],"tags":[125825,125824,316560,707,79,16,15,316561],"class_list":["post-1166126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-circuit-zandvoort","tag-dutch-gp","tag-f1-dutch-gp-norris-overhauls-antonelli-for-victory","tag-formula-1","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-verstappen-suffers-heavy-crash"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117149065016005609","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1166126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1166127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1166126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1166126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1166126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}