Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, converting pole position into his second consecutive victory of the 2026 season.
The McLaren driver lost the lead at the start but fought back, making a crucial move on Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli to retake first place. Norris then built a comfortable gap to secure another important win and continue his recent run of strong results.
Mercedes still emerged as one of the biggest winners of the weekend. Antonelli finished second and George Russell third, giving the team a double podium and valuable points in both championships. Team principal Toto Wolff described the result as a “damage limitation” race, with Mercedes strengthening its position at the top of the standings.
Ferrari, on the other hand, endured a frustrating race. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and Charles Leclerc fifth. Qualifying proved particularly important at Zandvoort, as starting position played a major role in the fight for the win.
The result saw Hamilton lose further ground to Antonelli in the drivers’ championship, while Ferrari also lost more ground to Mercedes in the constructors’ standings.
Ferrari was not the only team to endure a frustrating race. Home favorite Max Verstappen also saw his final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort end in disappointment. The Red Bull driver crashed at Turn 1 early in the race after losing control of his car and hitting the barriers, triggering a red flag. Verstappen was unharmed, and the race resumed afterwards.
Thankfully for Red Bull, Liam Lawson, who replaced the injured Isack Hadjar for this race, managed to salvage some points with a seventh-place finish.
Further down the field, Nico Hulkenberg secured four valuable points for Audi with an eighth-place finish, while Fernando Alonso took ninth to give Aston Martin two points. Alonso praised the team’s upgrade package and expressed his belief that the team is moving in the right direction as it looks to compete more strongly with midfield teams in the coming races.
Mercedes extends constructors’ lead
Lando Norris may have taken the biggest prize of the weekend, but Mercedes left Zandvoort with the bigger gain in the constructors’ championship. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli’s double podium allowed the team to extend its lead over Ferrari from 72 points to 87.
Mercedes now leads the standings with 425 points, well clear of Ferrari on 338, while McLaren sits third with 263 points.
The result underlines Mercedes’ consistency across the season. Even as Norris and McLaren have started to find winning form, the Silver Arrows continue to build their advantage by scoring strongly with both cars.
Antonelli remains in front as Norris climbs
Kimi Antonelli continues to strengthen his grip on the drivers’ championship, extending his lead once again despite Norris taking another victory. Antonelli now sits on 242 points, 59 points clear of both his teammate George Russell and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who are tied on 183.
Norris has climbed to fourth with 159 points after his second straight win, but the reigning world champion still trails Antonelli by 83 points. His recent form, however, has brought him back into the title picture, with McLaren and Norris now looking to keep the momentum going in the races ahead.
What comes next?
Formula 1 will return to action in 11 days, with the Italian Grand Prix scheduled for September 4-6 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
The championship battle will resume in Monza, with Norris looking to continue his winning run while Mercedes aims to protect its growing advantage in both championships.
