From Fernando Alonso's incredible drive to Max Verstappen's early crash, Zandvoort gave us a memorable final race.
The final race at Circuit Zandvoort culminated with a Lando Norris win, the second straight Grand Prix victory for the reigning World Champion. It wasn't a surprise, given McLaren's pace this weekend.
But the recent and final Dutch Grand Prix offered every bit of excitement, the perfect start to the second half of the season. Let's look back at the surprises and busts of this exhilarating race.
The happy surprises
Alonso's saving grace
Rear wing issues and an "overdelivering" engine made life difficult for Fernando Alonso early in the weekend. But Aston Martin fixed the car's drivability when it mattered most. From starting the race in P18, Alonso crossed the finish line in P9.
In his post-race radio message, the former World Champion was quoted as saying that the car was "lovely to drive."
An incredible race for the Hulk
Throughout the weekend, Nico Hulkenberg was on the back foot in comparison to his younger teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. The veteran driver started in P13, with Bortoleto slotted at P9. But Bortoleto lost a lot of time when he spun his car early, which Hulkenberg amazingly avoided, by the way.
Hulkenberg would then capitalize on a chaotic race, finishing in P8 to score important midfield points for Audi.
The new (but old) Red Bull drivers
In their first drive for their respective teams at Zandvoort, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda impressed right away. Lawson put up a consistent drive for Red Bull, finishing in P7 behind the three front-running teams.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda was just one position away from scoring points for the Racing Bulls. Most importantly, he finished ahead of teammate Arvid Lindblad in his race this year.
The underwhelming busts
The fallen hometown hero
Unfortunately for Max Verstappen, he had to bow out early in his final home Grand Prix. The four-time World Champion lost the rear of his Red Bull, crashing heavily, and triggering a red flag after Lap 1.
Safe to say that most of the Zandvoort crowd didn't expect this for their home hero.
Piastri lags behind Norris again
Starting the race at P4, McLaren's Oscar Piastri had himself an excellent initial stint, overtaking Mercedes' George Russell to move into third. But a slow pit stop unraveled his early work, dropping him behind Russell.
Piastri would struggle for grip the rest of the race, with both Ferraris passing him. The Australian driver had to settle for P6.
Ferrari's pit wall
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished P4 and P5, but there could've been more for the two Ferrari drivers. Consecutive slow pit stops cost them time.
Meanwhile, with fresher tyres and quicker pace at the latter part of the race, Hamilton repeatedly complained over the team's hesitation to make the call to have Leclerc let him through.
With an intra-team rivalry brewing and a frustrated Hamilton emerging at the end of it, Ferrari left Zandvoort disappointed.
