NORRIS WINS ZANDVOORT’S FAREWELL—THE HARD WAY

Lando Norris recovered from losing the lead at the restart, passed Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton on Lap 54, and won Zandvoort’s final Grand Prix by 11.536 seconds as Max Verstappen crashed out.

VERSTAPPEN’S FAREWELL ENDS ON LAP 2

The final Formula 1 race at Zandvoort began on a damp circuit, with the formation lap completed behind the Safety Car before the field lined up for the start.

Norris converted pole position into the early lead, but Antonelli immediately displaced George Russell for second. Behind them, Verstappen’s home Grand Prix lasted less than two racing laps.

The Red Bull driver dipped a wheel across the white line on the main straight, lost the rear of the car and crashed heavily into the barriers. Verstappen reported that he was okay, but his damaged car and the barrier repairs brought out the red flag.

The stoppage erased Norris’s early advantage and turned the race into a strategic reset.

ANTONELLI TAKES CONTROL

Norris switched to soft tyres during the suspension, while Mercedes kept Antonelli and Russell on mediums. Oscar Piastri restarted on hard tyres.

After an additional delay caused by Oliver Bearman stopping on the formation lap with a technical problem, the race resumed with a standing start.

Antonelli produced the better launch and took the lead from Norris into Turn 1. Piastri also passed Russell, moving into third as the Mercedes rookie began opening a small advantage at the front.

It was no longer a straightforward pole-to-win race for Norris. He now had to recover the lead on track while managing a tyre compound that was unlikely to carry him deep into the race.

STRATEGY OPENS THE RACE

Russell became the first leading driver to make a scheduled stop, changing to hard tyres on Lap 16. Piastri followed one lap later, but a slow McLaren stop cost him valuable time.

Antonelli and Norris waited until Lap 22 before making their first stops, with both switching to hard tyres. Charles Leclerc chose mediums, while Hamilton extended his opening stint until Lap 26 before taking hard tyres.

The different strategies reshuffled the chasing group. Leclerc passed Piastri, and Hamilton later found his way ahead of the second McLaren as well.

Mercedes brought Antonelli and Russell in for their second stops around Lap 41, followed by Leclerc on Lap 44. Norris remained out until Lap 48, returning to the circuit in third place—approximately five seconds behind Antonelli, with Hamilton temporarily leading.

McLaren had given Norris fresher tyres. He still had to make them count.

TWO PASSES. ONE LAP.

Norris rapidly reduced Antonelli’s advantage and reached the Mercedes by Lap 54.

He attacked around the outside of Turn 1, held his line through the corner and completed the pass for second. Later on the same lap, Norris overtook Hamilton to move from third into the lead.

It was the decisive sequence of the race: two passes in a single lap after losing control of the Grand Prix at the restart.

Once ahead, Norris began building the margin he needed for the closing stages.

THE LATE VSC GAMBLE

Esteban Ocon’s stopped Haas triggered a Virtual Safety Car and gave the leading teams one final strategic decision.

Antonelli stopped for soft tyres. Norris and Russell stayed on track.

The VSC period ended before Norris could respond without surrendering the lead, leaving Antonelli with a significant tyre advantage but several cars to clear. The Mercedes driver quickly caught Russell, and the team exchanged their positions on Lap 65 to release Antonelli for a late pursuit.

Another VSC followed after contact between the two Williams drivers left debris on the circuit, further reducing Antonelli’s opportunity to attack.

Norris controlled the remaining laps and crossed the line 11.536 seconds ahead, securing his second consecutive victory and his second Grand Prix win of the 2026 season.

Antonelli finished second, with Russell completing the podium.

THE REST OF THE POINTS

Russell held off Hamilton by 0.849 seconds in the fight for third. Hamilton finished fourth, only 0.503 seconds ahead of Leclerc in fifth.

Piastri took sixth after losing ground during the pit-stop sequence. Liam Lawson retained seventh despite receiving a 10-second penalty for a yellow-flag infringement, while Nico Hülkenberg, Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly completed the points positions.

Yuki Tsunoda, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz were the remaining classified finishers.

Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Ocon, Lance Stroll, Bearman and Verstappen did not finish.

WHAT THE RESULT CHANGES

Antonelli leaves Zandvoort leading the Drivers’ Championship with 242 points. Russell and Hamilton are tied on 183, while Norris moves to 159—four points ahead of Leclerc and 83 behind the championship leader.

The gap remains substantial, but Norris has now won consecutive Grands Prix and delivered his strongest run of the season.

More immediately, he becomes the winner of Zandvoort’s final scheduled Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Norris started the day on pole, lost the lead, recovered it with two passes on one lap and closed the circuit’s latest F1 chapter from the top step of the podium.