The Formula 1 edit

Article by Finley Ever

This is it! The drivers’ last time at Zandvoort. Hopefully we will see the return of this ocean-side track sometime in the future, but for now, let’s savor this one! Lando Norris starts on pole position with Sprint race winner George Russell in second.

The Starting Grid

1. Lando Norris
2. George Russell
3. Kimi Antonelli
4. Oscar Piastri
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. Charles Leclerc
7. Max Verstappen
8. Liam Lawson (raced for Red Bull this weekend!)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto
10. Arvid Lindblad
11. Pierre Gasly
12. Yuki Tsunoda (replaced Liam at VCARB this weekend)
13. Nico Hulkenberg
14. Franco Colapinto
15. Esteban Ocon
16. Alex Albon
17. Carlos Sainz
18. Fernando Alonso
19. Lance Stroll
20. Oliver Bearman
21. Valtteri Bottas
22. Sergio Perez

The first start

When the five red lights went out, Lando got the launch off the line that he needed! He shot forward, unlike his fellow Brit in second, George Russell, who was quickly passed by his teammate, Kimi Antonelli.

A lap later on this short circuit, as the leaders sped through the grid markers on the track, Max Verstappen touched his wheel to the white line and spun out, crashing into the barrier. This being Max’s last home race before it’s taken off the calendar, the entire F1 fandom was rooting him on. This was the ultimate disappointment for Max, so we can only hope Zandvoort makes a reappearance while he’s still racing in the sport. First, we saw the yellow flag, and then the red flag, signaling that the session was postponed while the marshals cleared the Dutch’s car and debris from the track.

Gabico astounds

While Max crashed out further ahead, Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto spun out on the damp track, completely unrelated to the Max situation. This sent a ton of cloudy fumes into the air, which Gabriel’s teammate, Nico Hulkenberg, was forced to drive through. He sped through without being able to see anything in front of him from the smoke, and when the smoke finally cleared, Gabi was right in front of Nico mid spin, at the perfect angle for the German to T-bone Gabriel. Fortunately, thanks to a mixture of reflexes and teammate connection, Nico swerved left and no one was hurt. Gabriel recovered the car and was able to continue on racing.

The second start

After another formation lap, because Ollie Bearman pulled his car over, the Dutch GP was back underway! Although this time, Lando would have to face Kimi instead of George behind. Both drivers had an impeccable start the first time, but Kimi was the only one out of the two to succeed the second time around. He quickly passed Lando for the lead.

After a few turns of the windy track, Oscar Piastri sneakily snuck up and passed George for third. Mercedes first, McLaren second, McLaren third, and Mercedes fourth!

A series of pitstops

In lap 18, a struggling George Russell pitted for fresh rubber. A lap later, the man that passed George, Oscar, came in for a new set of tyres to block any chance of George catching him, but the pit stop was not as fast as McLaren needed it to be, so George passed him for third anyways.

Midfield Battles

Down in the midfield in lap 27, Arvid Lindblad, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, and Yuki Tsunoda got caught in a little battle, resulting in the Audi of Nico getting ahead of Pierre Gasly in a swift overtake. Nico then passed Arvid Lindblad around the outside for the first point finishing position, tenth.

Two laps later, Yuki Tsunoda got scrappy with the Alpine ahead, a long stint of driving side by side resulted in the Japanese driver who’s filling Liam Lawson’s shoes at VCARB overtaking the Frenchman Pierre. Yuki to 12th. Unfortunately, his 10th position by lap 58 was taken by Pierre Gasly, pass and repass!

Ferrari shenanigans

In lap 34, Charles Leclerc got past Oscar Piastri for 4th position with pure talent and technique. 1 lap later, Lewis Hamilton also swiftly passed Oscar, for fifth position this time.

Lando takes back what’s his

In lap 53, Lewis Hamilton led with Kimi Antonelli in second, but not for long! Lando worked corner after corner. First, he overtook Kimi. Then a lap later, the man who won here in 2024 and started on Pole Position in 2026 retook first from Lewis Hamilton! Lando Norris to first!

He quickly took off, building a gap of more than 11 seconds between himself and second.

Estie Bestie woes

In lap 55 of 72, much like his teammate earlier on, Haas driver Esteban Ocon pulled his car over onto the side of the track, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. With Esteban’s contract up in the air for 2027, this really wasn’t the race the Frenchman needed.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc took advantage of the VSC to get new tyres for the final stint of the race. Lewis hoped and prayed that he could come out of the pit ahead of Kimi, but no such luck! As of lap 57, the top three were Lando Norris, George Russell, and Kimi Antonelli.

Arrow Rules

Forget the infamous Papaya Rules of the 2025 season, make way for Arrow Rules! In lap 66, Mercedes informed George, the leading car, that they wanted him get out of the way for Kimi, who was behind in third. George was quite angry about this for multiple reasons, of course. One being that Kimi’s car wasn’t any faster, and there was no way that Kimi would be able to catch Lando in first because the McLaren driver had built a margin of 11.2 seconds at that time! Still, George obliged. Kimi quickly drove past George for second.

Renewed contract rivals

In lap 68, Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon collided, sending the Thai driver off the track with little pieces of his car spread across it, resulting in his retirement from the race. Both drivers have recently renewed their contracts with the British team. So, whether they’re friends after that collision or not, they are set to be teammates until at least the end of next year!

The Last Lap

With Lando miles ahead in first, the win has been secured for him. Meanwhile a few positions back, a frustrated George Russell became vulnerable to his ex-teammate, Lewis Hamilton, behind in fourth. This battle lasted the rest of the final lap. With Lewis being way too close for George’s liking, George persisted in the fight and came out victorious, claiming third for the German team.

Lando Norris wins the Dutch Grand Prix! Back-to-back GP wins is exactly the type of energy we need from the reigning World Champion! Kimi Antonelli claimed second, his last Grand Prix as a teenager. He continues to lead the WDC with a large gap to second, who just so happens to be his teammate, George Russell, who finished the Grand Prix in third.

Race Results

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3. George Russell (Mercedes)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
7. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)
8. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
9. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11. Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB)
12. Arvid Lindblad (VCARB)
13. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
14. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
15. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
16. Carlos Sainz Jr. (Williams)
17. Alexander Albon (Williams) (DNF)
18. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
19. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
20. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
21. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
22. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Next up, Monza! The home of the Tifosi and our current WDC leader, Kimi Antonelli! I’ll see you there.

xx