Norris wins Dutch GP after Verstappen's lap-one crash

Lando Norris recovered from losing the lead after a restart to win the Dutch Grand Prix by 11.5 seconds on Sunday (August 23, 2026), completing a third successive victory for McLaren at Zandvoort.

The reigning Formula One world champion started from pole but fell behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli when the race resumed following Max Verstappen’s opening-lap crash.

Norris regained first place with 18 laps remaining, using fresher tyres to overtake Antonelli before pulling clear. Antonelli finished second, with Mercedes teammate George Russell third and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton fourth.

The result gave Norris a second consecutive victory after his win in Hungary last month.

Norris remained fourth in the drivers’ championship, 83 points behind Antonelli. Reuters race report

Verstappen’s home race ends on first lap

Verstappen crashed at the end of the opening lap after rain before the start left parts of the circuit damp.

His Red Bull struck the concrete wall outside a banked corner before sliding back across the track. One wheel broke away and debris was scattered across the circuit, forcing officials to stop the race.

“I’m OK,” the four-time Formula One world champion reported over the team radio. The three-time Dutch Grand Prix winner, who had started seventh, climbed out without assistance.

Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, told Sky Sports that Verstappen appeared to have applied too much throttle. He described the accident as probably the Dutch driver’s mistake while stressing how difficult the conditions were.

Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also spun behind Verstappen on the slippery track, narrowly avoiding a collision with teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

The cars completed an additional formation lap before returning to the grid for the restart. Reuters crash report

Fresher tyres carry Norris back into the lead

Several drivers moved to the front during the pit-stop cycle before Norris closed on Antonelli, having changed tyres seven laps later than the Mercedes driver.

“I probably had one chance to make it happen and I made the most of it,” Norris said after completing the decisive pass.

Norris then overtook Hamilton, who had inherited the lead but had yet to make his final stop. Antonelli followed the McLaren driver past the Ferrari.

A virtual safety car was deployed after Haas driver Esteban Ocon stopped on the track. Hamilton and Antonelli used the interruption to change tyres, while Norris remained out and demonstrated enough pace on his older set to protect the lead.

Hamilton returned to the track 12 seconds behind Norris, who eventually finished 11.5 seconds clear of Antonelli.

Charles Leclerc took fifth for Ferrari, ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson, who was replacing the injured Isack Hadjar. Hulkenberg finished eighth for Audi.

Fernando Alonso placed ninth, more than doubling Aston Martin’s points total for the season after Honda introduced an engine upgrade. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completed the top 10.

Antonelli left Zandvoort with 242 points after 12 rounds, holding a 59-point advantage over Hamilton and Russell, who were level on 183.

Every Dutch Grand Prix since Zandvoort returned to the calendar in 2021 following a 36-year absence has been won from pole position. Sunday’s race was the circuit’s last Formula One event for the foreseeable future.

Hamilton says Ferrari delay denied him podium

Hamilton said Ferrari should have responded sooner when he reported that he was faster than Leclerc on a different tyre strategy.

“Let’s not hold ourselves up from a potentially better result,” Hamilton told the team over the radio.

Ferrari waited another lap before bringing Leclerc into the pits, leaving Hamilton to recover the time lost behind his teammate. He finished less than a second outside the podium positions.

The seven-time world champion later described Ferrari’s overall strategy as “generally very good”, but said the several seconds lost behind Leclerc had probably decided the outcome. Reuters strategy report

Hamilton, who joined Ferrari from Mercedes last year, said the team remained capable of winning despite a difficult sequence of races involving penalties and other setbacks.

Ferrari’s next race will be its home Italian Grand Prix at Monza, outside Milan. Hamilton and Leclerc have each won once this season, while the team last secured a Formula One championship in 2008.