Zandvoort, Netherlands, 23 August (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday, taking his second Formula One victory in succession as McLaren finished ahead of Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell at Zandvoort.
Norris completed the 72-lap race 11.536 seconds ahead of championship leader Antonelli. Russell finished third, with Lewis Hamilton fourth for Ferrari and team-mate Charles Leclerc fifth.
The result followed Norris’s Hungarian Grand Prix victory before Formula One’s summer break and gave the McLaren driver another strong result as the 2026 championship resumed in the Netherlands.
Norris turns pole into victory at Zandvoort
Norris had secured pole on Saturday with a lap of 1min 11.163sec, narrowly beating Russell by 0.102sec. Antonelli qualified third, just 0.031sec behind his Mercedes team-mate, while Oscar Piastri started fourth.
Sunday’s race did not remain straightforward for long.
Home favourite Max Verstappen, who started seventh, crashed on the opening lap at the final corner. The Red Bull driver’s retirement brought an early end to his home Grand Prix and interrupted the opening phase of the race.
Once racing resumed, Norris faced a challenge from Antonelli. Strategy and traffic played a part as the two fought for the lead, but Norris ultimately moved clear and controlled the closing stages.
He crossed the line in 2hr 4min 44.859sec, with Antonelli second and Russell 15.906 seconds behind the winner in third.
Mercedes takes two places on the podium
Mercedes left Zandvoort with both cars on the podium after a competitive weekend.
Antonelli’s second place added another significant result to a season in which the Italian has established himself at the front of the championship. Russell, meanwhile, followed his victory in Saturday’s Sprint with third place in the main race.
Russell had won the 24-lap Sprint ahead of Leclerc and Norris, while Antonelli finished fourth.
Ferrari narrowly missed the podium on Sunday. Hamilton finished less than a second behind Russell in fourth, while Leclerc followed in fifth.
Norris builds on Hungarian Grand Prix victory
Norris arrived in the Netherlands having won the previous round in Hungary, where he finished ahead of Verstappen and Antonelli.
His Zandvoort result therefore gives him consecutive Grand Prix victories as Formula One enters the second half of its 2026 season.
The Dutch Grand Prix was the 12th round of the championship and the first race after the traditional summer break. Zandvoort’s narrow layout and banked corners again placed an emphasis on qualifying position, making Norris’s Saturday pole an important part of his weekend.
For McLaren, the victory provides another strong result against Mercedes, while Antonelli’s second place keeps the championship leader collecting valuable points.
Verstappen’s home race ends on opening lap
Verstappen’s early retirement meant the Dutch crowd did not see the four-time world champion challenge at the front on Sunday.
The Red Bull driver had qualified seventh, behind both McLarens, both Mercedes cars and the Ferraris. His race ended before those battles had time to develop.
For Norris, the outcome was very different. Pole position, 25 championship points and a second straight Grand Prix victory completed a successful weekend for the reigning world champion.
What happens next?
Formula One now heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix from 4 to 6 September.
The championship will then move to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix from 11 to 13 September, followed by Azerbaijan later in the month.
Norris will arrive in Italy with consecutive victories, while Mercedes will look to carry forward the pace that put Antonelli and Russell alongside him on the Zandvoort podium.
