Norris Wins Chaotic Final Dutch Grand Prix as Verstappen Crashes Early!

Lando Norris claimed his second consecutive victory in a dramatic Dutch Grand Prix, recovering from an early setback to defeat championship leader Kimi Antonelli at Zandvoort. On an afternoon shaped by changing conditions, high tire degradation and multiple retirements, Norris strengthened his championship challenge while Max Verstappen’s home race ended before he completed the opening lap.

Rain before the start left parts of the circuit unusually slippery, most notably the final corner. Verstappen reached that wet section on the first lap, lost the rear of his Red Bull and crashed heavily into the barriers. He escaped unharmed, but the accident brought out the red flag and ended his final Dutch Grand Prix, at least for the foreseeable future, almost as soon as it began. With Zandvoort dropping from the calendar after 2026, it was an abrupt and deeply disappointing farewell for the home favorite.

Norris had led from pole before the stoppage, but Antonelli made the better getaway at the standing restart and swept into the lead. The Mercedes driver initially opened a comfortable advantage, but Norris stayed close enough to keep the race within reach.

As the track changed, tire degradation became considerably worse than teams had expected. Norris extended his second stint and began rapidly closing as Antonelli struggled with his rear tires. After emerging from his final stop more than five seconds behind, Norris erased the gap and passed Antonelli around the outside of Turn 1 on Lap 54.

A late Virtual Safety Car, caused by Esteban Ocon’s stranded Haas, gave Antonelli and the Ferraris an opportunity to pit for soft tires. Norris remained on older hard tires, but still pulled away to win by 11.5 seconds. Antonelli finished second ahead of George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.

The result gave Norris consecutive victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, moving him to 159 points. Antonelli nevertheless remains firmly in control with 242, leading Russell and Hamilton—tied for second—by 59 points. Norris is now 83 points behind, keeping his title hopes alive, while Verstappen’s retirement leaves him 130 points off the lead.

Cadillac found some encouragement but again left without scoring points. Sergio Pérez started from the pit lane after overnight setup changes and used an overcut to move ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas. Pérez showed respectable pace and finished 15th, although the timing of the late VSC worked against his strategy. Bottas ran near the Williams cars early but retired with a hydraulic problem affecting his rear wing—his sixth DNF of the season. On Marcin Budkowski’s first weekend leading the team, Cadillac again demonstrated flashes of midfield potential, but reliability and qualifying pace remain serious obstacles.

Haas endured an even more difficult weekend, recording its first double retirement of the season. Oliver Bearman’s car shut down during the formation lap preceding the restart, ending his race almost immediately. Ocon continued until Lap 52 before stopping with a suspected power-unit problem. The Frenchman acknowledged that he was unlikely to score points even without the failure, underlining Haas’ more fundamental pace concerns.

Upgrades are expected for Monza, and after a weekend combining poor performance with two mechanical retirements, Haas badly needs them to deliver.