Lando Norris braved a rain-slicked Zandvoort and early red flag chaos to secure McLaren’s third straight victory, spoiling Max Verstappen’s final home race after a heavy crash.
Lando Norris took the last edition of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and closed Formula 1's history at the Dutch circuit with a victory. The current world champion secured his second consecutive win at the track and gave McLaren their third straight victory at this venue, following his wins in 2024 and 2025.
Kimi Antonelli was second and George Russell third, in a race marked by rain, a red flag, multiple strategies, and a finish that once again changed the podium.
But the 72 lap race was far from simple. Rain before the start left sections of the track particularly tricky and turned the last corner into a trap from the first meters. Chaos began immediately and forced the race to be stopped with a red flag before even completing a lap.
At the start, Kimi Antonelli quickly took advantage of the fight between the Mercedes cars and managed to overtake his teammate George Russell to take second place. However, attention quickly shifted to Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver, racing his last home race at Zandvoort, lost control of his Red Bull at the last corner, precisely in the area that still had water, and suffered a heavy crash that caused the race to be interrupted.
The incident could have been even more serious. Immediately after, Gabriel Bortoleto spun in the same sector and managed to avoid both the wall and the other cars. Nico Hülkenberg had to react quickly to avoid a side impact with the Audi driver. The track had shown in just a few seconds that it was still not in condition for a normal race.
For Verstappen, the crash had special meaning. The Dutchman could not close his last participation at Zandvoort in the way he expected, a circuit where he had built a special relationship with the local crowd and where he had achieved three consecutive wins since the Grand Prix's return to the calendar in 2021.
The race remained stopped for approximately 30 minutes. When activity was finally attempted to resume, there was still a problem to solve. During the formation lap, Oliver Bearman's car suffered a problem and shut down completely, forcing another formation lap while the stewards removed the Haas from the track.
The competition was able to restart on lap 5, and this time Antonelli did not waste any time attacking. The Italian took advantage of the first corner to overtake Norris and take the lead. Mercedes had decided to play an aggressive strategy, and the young driver began to build a race in which he also had to deal with the pressure from his own teammate.
Precisely, one of the most important situations of the day occurred within the German team. Mercedes asked George Russell to let Antonelli pass to allow the Italian to try to go after Norris and the win. Russell was initially reluctant to obey the order, something especially understandable considering that both drivers are directly involved in the championship fight. Finally, the Briton obeyed and let his teammate through.
While the fight for the top positions progressed, strategies began to become the decisive factor. There were multiple undercuts and different decisions in the pits, generating constant changes in the drivers' order. One of the biggest losers was Oscar Piastri. The McLaren driver had concrete chances to fight for the podium, but an ineffective strategy from his team made him lose pace and positions during the second half of the race.
In the midfield, there was also one of the most entertaining fights of the race. Carlos Sainz decided to stay on track without pitting and ended up forming a real train of cars behind him. Yuki Tsunoda, Nico Hülkenberg, Arvid Lindblad and Pierre Gasly were involved in an intense fight for points scoring positions, with several overtaking attempts and moments when the cars touched.
Penalties also played an important role. Lindblad and Franco Colapinto received a drive through for not respecting yellow flags during the incident that caused Verstappen's crash. Colapinto subsequently received another ten second penalty for a new infringement related to yellow flags, while Liam Lawson received the same penalty.
Gabriel Bortoleto was also under investigation for a pit exit where he left the area with the red light on. The stewards' decision was pending after the race.
The race was modified again on lap 55, when Esteban Ocon's car stopped on track and caused a Virtual Safety Car. The neutralization allowed new strategic decisions and once again compressed the gaps at a time when several drivers still had chances to change their position.
Ten laps later came another retirement: Valtteri Bottas had to withdraw his car, and the race entered its final stage with several positions still at stake.
The outcome was as chaotic as it had begun. On lap 69, the two Williams collided, causing a new Virtual Safety Car just as George Russell was fighting to keep third place. The neutralization ended up favoring the Mercedes driver, who was able to secure the last step of the podium when the Ferraris were approaching dangerously and seemed to have chances to overtake him.
Carlos Sainz received a ten second penalty for causing the incident with his teammate, adding another complicated chapter for Williams in a race that had several tense moments.
Finally, Norris crossed the finish line first and secured a victory full of meaning. The world champion won again at Zandvoort and closed the circuit's last participation on the Formula 1 calendar in the best possible way.
Kimi Antonelli finished second after a race of great authority, while George Russell completed the podium after having had to give up his position to his teammate and then defend it in a finish conditioned by the Virtual Safety Car.
Norris's victory also confirmed a statistic that is already becoming part of Zandvoort's recent history: McLaren won the last three races held at the circuit, with Norris in 2024, Oscar Piastri in 2025, and Norris again in 2026.
Zandvoort thus says goodbye to Formula 1 after a last race worthy of its history: rain, crashes, red flags, strategies, team orders, penalties, and a finish with the podium at stake until the final laps. Norris takes the last win, while the Dutch circuit lowers the checkered flag after decades of being part of the top category.
