Lando Norris won the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort after a race interrupted by a red flag and several difficult restarts. Kimi Antonelli finished second and George Russell took third. Max Verstappen’s home race ended early after a crash on the wet white line at the final corner.
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Verstappen crashes and the race is stopped
Although parts of the track were still damp, slick tyres were used by the whole field, with different compounds across the top teams. Norris started from pole, ahead of Russell and Antonelli.
At the start, Antonelli moved ahead of Russell, while Leclerc passed Hamilton. Verstappen was also involved in close racing in the opening corners. On the first racing lap, several cars already showed damage or needed work in the pits.
At the end of the first lap, Verstappen put a wheel onto the inside white line at the final corner. The line was still wet, the Red Bull lost grip and hit the wall hard. His race was over. Gabriel Bortoleto also spun during the incident, while Nico Hulkenberg and several others had to pass through heavy smoke and debris. The race was red-flagged immediately.
The pit lane became very busy during the stoppage. Several teams changed damaged parts, while some smaller holes and bodywork problems were temporarily fixed with tape.
A strange restart puts Antonelli in front
The restart procedure was unusual. Some drivers left the pit lane very late, with the leaders already close to the final corner when several cars were still coming out. There were also cars that did not initially take the correct grid positions, so another formation lap was required.
After the extra lap, the race finally restarted. Antonelli reacted best and took the lead from Norris into Turn 1. Piastri moved into third, while the order behind the leaders also changed quickly.
The changing conditions also made tyre strategy difficult. Pirelli had expected a one-stop race to be the fastest option, but the actual race developed differently because of the interruption and changing tyre performance.
Early pit stops change the midfield
Around Lap 22, many drivers started making their tyre stops earlier than the original Pirelli estimates. The different tyre ages created some clear performance gaps.
Many of the midfield overtakes came when there was a clear difference in tyre age or compound. Hulkenberg was one of the drivers who used the softer tyres well, making several notable moves during his battles in the midfield.
The race also included several penalties and incidents away from the leaders, adding more changes to the order.
Norris takes control and wins
As the race settled, Norris was able to recover the lead and build enough pace to control the final part. Antonelli remained his main rival, but Mercedes could not find enough performance to regain first place.
With three laps remaining, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed. The timing was important for George Russell, as Lewis Hamilton was closest to him at this point and was putting pressure on the Mercedes driver. The VSC slowed the race down and likely helped Russell avoid a late attack from Hamilton.
Norris crossed the finish line first, with Antonelli second and Russell third. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, followed by Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri and the rest of the points scorers.
The full results of the race according to FIA.com:
