By Alan Baldwin
ZANDVOORT, Netherlands, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Lando Norris gave McLaren a third successive Dutch Grand Prix victory on Sunday in an intense race of shifting fortunes that had to be re-started after home hero Max Verstappen crashed on the opening lap.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli finished second to increase his championship lead, with teammate George Russell obeying orders to let the Italian — on fresher tyres — through late in the race and then holding off Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton for third.
The win was a second in a row for reigning world champion Norris, who started on pole position but had to fight back after losing the lead to Antonelli at the re-start, following victory in Hungary last month.
“Let’s keep bringing upgrades. Let’s keep bringing performance. The fight is still on. Let’s keep going,” said Norris, who won at Zandvoort in 2024 before teammate Oscar Piastri triumphed last year.
Every F1 race at Zandvoort since the circuit returned to the calendar in 2021 after a 36-year absence has been won from pole, and Sunday’s will keep it that way as the last for the foreseeable future.
Antonelli stretched his lead to 59 points over Russell and Hamilton, now tied on 183 each to the 19-year-old Italian’s 242, after 12 rounds.
“With the new tyres, he would have overtaken anyway so it was the right decision,” said Russell, who won Saturday’s sprint, of the team orders. “Just happy to be standing on the podium. It’s been a little while for me and a strong weekend overall.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fifth with Piastri sixth and Liam Lawson, a stand-in for injured Isack Hadjar, seventh for Red Bull.
Nico Hulkenberg was eighth for Audi with Fernando Alonso putting Aston Martin, with a more powerful Honda engine, back in the points in ninth and Pierre Gasly taking 10th for Renault-owned Alpine.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Timothy HeritageEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Comments