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After the long summer break, Formula 1 is ready to return to the stage. The race will take place in the Netherlands, at Zandvoort, home ground for Max Verstappen, who won here three times - in 2021, 2022, and 2023 - and finished second in 2024. Naturally, the Red Bull Racing driver, currently third in the championship behind the untouchable McLaren duo, is the most anticipated figure at the press conference that kicks off activities on the orange track. The four-time World Champion appeared rather calm in front of journalists and touched on various topics, starting with his expectations for the final ten races of the season, since it now seems clear that he will no longer be in contention for victory:
"Objectives for the championship? No, I’d say no. I’ll just try to make the most of this second half of the season, give my best every weekend, try to spot opportunities, and understand the car better. Clearly next year everything will be different, but I’m still very curious to learn a little more about this year’s car and figure out where we can find some extra performance to make life easier".
But Verstappen’s lack of concrete championship goals does not mean a lack of motivation:
"Finding motivation is not that difficult, honestly. It would be harder when you think you can fight for the title and still haven’t won anything. When you’ve already won so much, you know the moment will come when it won’t be possible anymore. Unfortunately, that moment has come now, but there’s no point in me being frustrated or yelling. That would be a waste of energy, and I’m not interested in that. We need to look at the car and our operations to understand how we can design for the future and try to do better. That’s what we’re doing at the moment".
Finally, Verstappen gave his thoughts on some market news, from rumors linking IndyCar champion Alex Palou as his possible future teammate to the announcement of Sergio Perez’s return with Cadillac:
"I’ve known Palou since the karting days. What he’s doing in IndyCar is difficult, but you can’t really know how he would do in Formula 1, and the same goes the other way around. Perez to Cadillac? As soon as the news came out, I texted him. He’s a good guy, I’m happy he’s back on the grid. His added value is that he has worked for many teams and knows how a team operates. I’d say having that kind of awareness of what makes a competitive car is very valuable".
Since joining Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda has scored only 7 points in 12 Grands Prix. Moreover, the Japanese driver has finished outside the points in the last seven race weekends. Only he and Franco Colapinto have failed to score in the seven Grands Prix leading up to the summer break. For this reason, it is crucial for Tsunoda to reverse this negative spiral starting with the Dutch Grand Prix, which marks Formula 1’s return to the track. Speaking to journalists at Zandvoort, the Japanese driver also responded to criticism from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who has not been shy in making unflattering comments about him.
"Sure, I need to prove more, but actually the last two races before the summer break helped me a bit".
Tsunoda particularly explained that he was finally able to align, in the last races before the break, with the specifications used by Max Verstappen:
"Probably many people, especially Helmut, didn’t notice the difference between me and Max in terms of packages. As soon as they introduced the new package, my pace suddenly improved a lot. In Hungary the gap between me and Max was very small from Free Practice onwards, and that shows I might have some potential. So I think I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, but at the same time I still need to put everything together across the whole weekend. I can’t just rely on pace. I need to score points. That’s what I prepared for during the summer break: I just need to score as many points as possible".
Formula 1 returns this weekend at Zandvoort after a month-long summer break. The last race before the pause was in Hungary, and it was a major disappointment for Charles Leclerc, who had taken pole position and led for two-thirds of the Grand Prix before collapsing in the final stint and even dropping out of the top three. Many explanations were suggested for that dramatic drop in performance. One of the most widely shared was offered by George Russell, who said after the race that Ferrari had raised tire pressures in the final stint to reduce floor wear and avoid a possible disqualification. Speaking to journalists at Zandvoort, Leclerc responded to Russell, denying his version but without delving too deeply into technical details:
"Russell’s words? I don’t intend to comment on that, and I don’t really care much about what George said after the race. The situation is much more complex than he described, but I don’t want to go into details. And I think, as we already said, we won’t go into the details of what exactly happened. It’s something we’re trying to solve and working on, but the only thing I can say is that it’s much more complicated than that".
The Monegasque driver was then reminded of some of his past statements, when he said that no one would be able to match Red Bull Racing’s performance before the end of this regulatory cycle:
"Clearly I was wrong, and that’s why I probably won’t use the word ‘impossible’ again, and McLaren has shown that we were all wrong. I think they’ve been the big surprise this year. We all thought we’d made a step forward. We all thought that, being the final year of this regulation, everyone would be closer - Red Bull, Mercedes, and ourselves. But McLaren seems to have found something we haven’t, and credit must be given to them. They’ve done an incredible job. Now it’s up to us to do better and try to catch them, but of course, it’s a bit late".
After the summer break, Lewis Hamilton also returns to the track, fully aware of the challenges awaiting him in the second half of the season. This final phase of the championship begins this weekend at Zandvoort, where the World Champion will be tasked with showing Ferrari fans - and above all himself - that he can still make a difference behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, regardless of results and a championship standing that, at this point, holds little promise. Nonetheless, the former Mercedes driver arrived at the traditional Thursday press conference with the belief that he can enjoy himself a little more compared to the first 14 races of the year.
"I completely switched off during the summer, and I feel determined and motivated. We’ll work hard, keep our heads down, try to change a few things in our approach, and maybe start enjoying ourselves too. There was a lot of pressure in the first half of the season, and it wasn’t the most enjoyable. So I think it’ll just take remembering that we love what we do, that we’re all in this together. I’ll try to have fun".
To truly have fun, however, it will likely be necessary to get the SF-25 working properly, making the most of the technical package after the latest updates:
"I think we’ve made a lot of progress and we’re slowly starting to improve as a team. We’re going in the right direction, and with the new components that came in - I think at Spa or something like that - we’ve begun to be able to find a better setup. We’re extracting, little by little, race by race, more potential, and I hope this weekend we can go even better. Have I faced difficult situations like this before? Well, many times! It has never happened that I got in the car and immediately won. There have always been tough moments, and I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to rest on his laurels or get too comfortable. That’s exactly what happened in the long-term relationship I had before (with Mercedes). I made this move to a team I really believe in, and I still believe in the potential of this team and in what we can achieve together. I think everyone in the team agrees on this, but no one succeeds without first going through difficult moments. So I welcome this phase and look forward to better days".
Thanks to the long summer break it almost feels like an eternity has passed, and yet it was only in the last Grand Prix on the calendar that Lewis Hamilton told the world he was a useless driver. It was just after qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, and the British driver, particularly demoralized after yet another disappointing result, uttered words destined to go down in history - almost as if inviting Ferrari to turn the page and pick a better driver for next season. Words that many obviously considered nothing more than a heat-of-the-moment outburst, but which were still a major talking point almost a month later at the Thursday press conference for the Dutch Grand Prix. Returning to the subject, for example, was George Russell: the British driver rejected the idea that Lewis Hamilton is no longer capable of driving a Formula 1 car competitively, reiterating his admiration for his former teammate.
"Yes, of course, what he said was absolute nonsense on that occasion because he’s anything but a useless driver - he is, in fact, the greatest of all time. I think in a situation like that, when you go from the track to the journalists’ microphones within 10 minutes, it’s normal to feel those kinds of emotions. When you have a bad day, that’s how you feel, whereas when everything goes well on track your mood completely changes. I believe Lewis Hamilton is still an outstanding driver. We saw it when he won the Sprint race in China at the start of the year. Clearly, he still has the talent. F1 is not an easy sport, and especially when the team can’t perform at the highest level, things get complicated. Then, of course, Charles Leclerc is also an extraordinary driver. But I think right now, after 14 races, probably all drivers except two are already looking forward to 2026 for a new chance to fight for the championship. For people like Lewis Hamilton, that’s his reason for being. For him, it’s not about fighting for points".
Only two finishes in the points from the last eight races, although one of them was a brilliant podium in Canada: that’s the form Andrea Kimi Antonelli carried into the summer break. After impressing everyone in the first six Grands Prix of his Formula 1 career, the Italian rookie has struggled to keep delivering strong results. For him, the break was useful to reset mentally ahead of the final ten races of his first F1 season. During this difficult period, Antonelli also had to take on board the comments of Helmut Marko: Red Bull’s legendary talent scout had kind words for him, but suggested it would have been better to debut in a midfield team rather than with a top team like Mercedes.
"Starting straight away in a top team isn’t always easy, because obviously racing for Mercedes is a huge privilege, but at the same time you need to deliver, you need to get the job done. So sometimes you can feel under pressure, but I’m really happy to have started with Mercedes. I’ve had some tough moments, but the team has always supported me a lot. I know I haven’t done my best, especially in certain moments of the season, but this year is mainly about learning for me. Of course, the goal is always to go out and win, but at the same time it’s important to prepare for next year. If I were racing in a junior team, I’d definitely have less pressure, but as I said, I’m really happy to have started at Mercedes because I can learn so much".
The intra-team battle at McLaren for the world title resumes at Zandvoort. Oscar Piastri versus Lando Norris: just 9 points between them and 10 races left to decide which of the two young talents will be crowned World Champion. Speaking with the media, the Australian also revisited what happened in Hungary, where Norris’ surprise one-stop strategy after a disastrous start proved crucial for victory.
"There have been some discussions within the team to see if there was something we could have done differently for me, and they’ve been very productive discussions. So I think we’ll still be free to choose alternative strategies if that’s what we want. There have definitely been talks about how we can approach such situations, because it’s obviously difficult to try to cover different strategies, especially given our position in the championship".
Piastri reiterated that, if similar circumstances arise again, his main priority will still be to cover his teammate:
"Would priority number one still be to cover Lando? Ultimately, yes, it would. I’m not worried, I think I’ve improved a lot this season and, honestly, very often the tracks that were my weakest last year have been among my best this year. I just need to focus on having the best possible weekend and drive as fast as I can. The intensity will ramp up as we get closer to the end of the year, and I’m ready for that. I’ve been in this position before in other championships, and the feeling is the same. Help from Webber? Yes, I can rely on Mark. But in the end it comes down to me: how I manage the situation, how I drive, how I handle what’s coming".
Lando Norris arrives in the Netherlands for the first weekend after the summer break with a 9-point gap to close on his teammate Oscar Piastri. It’s now clear to everyone that the title will go to one of the two McLaren drivers, and for this reason the internal tension in the team is inevitably set to rise - even though the relationship between the two contenders remains very good. Speaking with journalists at Zandvoort, Norris reflected on the outcome of the first 14 races of the year, admitting he made a few too many mistakes which have forced him to chase in the standings compared to his teammate. The first that comes to mind is, of course, the incident in Canada, born from a clumsy overtaking attempt on Piastri that cost the Briton a painful zero. But Lando also recalled another costly error from earlier in the season.
"I think the main mistake was in China during the Sprint Qualifying. I believe my lap was good enough for pole until the final corner, where I locked up. If I had thought, just before braking, ‘It’s a long season, don’t try to be a hero,’ I wouldn’t have ended up where I did. I lost 8 points there".
Of course, he couldn’t avoid reflecting on what happened in Montreal, probably the toughest moment of his season so far:
"Looking back at Canada, if I could do it all again, be smarter, and not take so many risks, could I have avoided losing so many points? Yes. But would I say I regret those moments? No. Do I wish they had gone differently, wish they had gone better? Do I wish I could redo everything? Yes. But at the same time, I don’t regret making those decisions at the time because I think that’s who I am, that’s life, and that’s how it goes. Sometimes things go your way and you’re lucky, other times they don’t and you don’t make the best choices. But those are also the moments where you often learn the most and grow for the future".
Now it’s official too: on Wednesday, August 26, 2025, Cadillac will make its Formula 1 debut in 2026 with the driver pairing of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. The two drivers return to the Circus after being dropped at the end of 2024 by Red Bull Racing and Sauber respectively. It can’t really be called a surprise, since both names had been circulating around the American team for some time. Perez and Bottas, who are believed to have signed two-year deals (though the team did not confirm this in its statement), bring with them a combined 527 Grands Prix and 16 F1 victories. Their experience is extremely valuable for a debuting team: it’s no wonder Cadillac pursued these profiles so decisively. The Americans’ original plan was to pair an experienced driver with a young U.S. talent, but Colton Herta never fully convinced (and didn’t earn enough Super License points). So, as the months went by, the idea of running two experienced drivers gained traction. Valtteri Bottas commented on joining the U.S. team, which will rely on Ferrari for its power unit supply, saying:
"From the moment I began speaking with the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, I felt something different - something ambitious but also grounded. This isn’t just a racing project; it’s a long-term vision. It's not every day that you get a chance to be part of something being built from the ground up and helping shape it into something that truly belongs on the F1 grid. I’ve had the honor of working with some of the best teams in the world, and I can already see the same professionalism and hunger here. This is an iconic brand with a big legacy in American motorsport, and to be a part of the story as it enters the world stage of F1 is incredibly special for me. I’m looking forward to representing the American spirit of racing on the greatest circuits in the world. I’d also like to thank Mercedes for their unwavering support and sportsmanship in facilitating such an exciting step".
While Sergio Perez says:
"Joining the Cadillac Formula 1 Team is an incredibly exciting new chapter in my career. From our first conversations, I could sense the passion and determination behind this project. It's an honor to be part of a building a team that can develop together so that, in time, we will fight at the very front. Cadillac is a legendary name in American motorsport, and to help bring such a fantastic company to Formula 1 is a huge responsibility, one I’m confident of taking on. I’m proud to be part of such an ambitious and meaningful project from the very beginning. I’m really pleased to be part of such a dynamic line-up, and together I believe we can help shape this team into a real contender, the team of the Americas. We’re counting on support from across the continent - and we want to make everyone proud".
The team will operate out of three key motorsport hubs: Fishers, Indiana; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Silverstone, UK - merging American engineering ingenuity with European racing expertise. Says Team Principal Graeme Lowdon:
"Signing two very experienced racers like Bottas and Checo is a bold signal of intent. They’ve seen it all and they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1. But more importantly, they understand what it means to help build a team. Their leadership, feedback, race-hardened instincts and of course their speed will be invaluable as we bring this team to life. A big thank you to the team at Mercedes for their co-operation and understanding".
Dan Towriss, CEO of the Cadillac Formula 1® Team and TWG Motorsports, a division of TWG Global, emphasizes the synergy of experience and ambition:
"Bottas and Checo bring the perfect balance of talent, maturity, and drive. They’re not just accomplished racers, they’re builders, collaborators, and professionals who will help define what the Cadillac Formula 1 Team stands for. This moment marks more than just a lineup announcement. It’s the beginning of a bold new chapter in American motorsport".
Cadillac’s entry into Formula 1 marks a high-performance evolution for one of America’s most storied and largest automotive brands. Says Mark Reuss, GM President:
"Our new drivers are a welcome addition to the Cadillac racing family - each brings a depth of experience, and an unwavering passion to win. Together, we’re building the foundation for American motorsports that will be an extraordinary legacy for Cadillac, GM and the sport”.
After a few weeks without racing during the sport’s summer break, the drivers are greeted by dry but windy conditions as the session gets underway at Zandvoort, with Nico Hulkenberg leading a queue of cars out of the pit lane when the green light appears. Most of the field bolts on the medium compound for their opening runs, on a weekend in which Pirelli is celebrating their 500th World Championship Grand Prix. Amid a busy start - with potentially heavy rain forecast for later in the day - Lewis Hamilton is the first to suffer a big moment, the Briton experiencing a 360-degree spin that triggers the yellow flags. Hamilton reports:
"I’ve got flat spots all round".
This is followed by a flurry of action as Yuki Tsunoda also has an off before Kimi Antonelli finds himself beached in the gravel at Turn 9, resulting in the red flags being thrown while the marshals work to recover his stricken Mercedes. The session resumes with just over 40 minutes left on the clock, leading to another busy run on track. Max Verstappen puts himself at the top of the timesheets prior to the session stoppage, but Norris betters that effort to lead a McLaren 1-2 at the halfway mark via his time of 1'10"278, four-tenths clear of Piastri. Focus for most switches to the soft tyre laps as FP1 progresses, leading to Piastri cutting Norris’ advantage down to 0.292s, while Fernando Alonso is an eye-catching third for Aston Martin ahead of the Williams of Alex Albon and Mercedes’ George Russell. Attentions then turn to the medium-shod long runs amid the final quarter of the hour, preparation that could prove crucial should rain limit the opportunity to get this mileage in during later sessions. Stroll, meanwhile, voices his frustration over the radio after encountering a slow-moving Tsunoda out on track. Norris’ earlier effort of 1'10"278 remains unbeaten, meaning that the Briton ends the first FP1 back after the summer break on top. Piastri also stays in P2, while Stroll impresses by slotting his Aston Martin into third during the latter stages. Alonso follows in fourth in a solid showing for the British squad, with Albon behind in fifth from the Red Bull of Verstappen. But there is drama for the home hero after the chequered flag falls, as he goes off track and becomes beached in the gravel following a practice start at Turn 1. Russell - who has a trip across the gravel himself during the final minutes - Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly complete the top 10.
With conditions dry but the threat of rain looming, drivers immediately head out onto the Zandvoort Circuit for crucial running, with Liam Lawson leading the train of cars out of the pit lane. Fastest in FP1, Norris continues his impressive Friday running by initially moving to the top of the times on a 1'12"615 with the medium tyre, before being usurped by Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso as drops of rain begin to fall. On his next flying lap, Norris becomes the first driver to dip below the 1'12"0 mark, posting a 1'11"294 as Stroll slots into second, his Aston Martin teammate Alonso complaining over the radio after being held up by Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. The Kick Saubers of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg move into second and third respectively with the soft Pirelli tyre, with home hero Max Verstappen posting the fourth fastest time, less than three-tenths slower than Norris on the medium rubber. Approaching the 10-minute mark, Haas’ Oliver Bearman jumps to the top of the leaderboard with a 1'11"113 just before a red flag is deployed after a heavy crash for Stroll at the banked Turn 3. With the Canadian reporting he is okay over the radio and the wreckage of his Aston Martin recovered, proceedings resume with 39 minutes of the one-hour session remaining as several drivers venture out, including Isack Hadjar. The Racing Bulls driver has not left the pit lane due to a technical issue prior to the red flag, but is forced to come to a stop on his out-lap, with his car quickly recovered under a Virtual Safety Car. Hulkenberg moves to the top of the standings just past the halfway point on a 1'11"080 with the help of soft tyres, as Lewis Hamilton suffers his second 360-degree spin of Friday on the exit of Turn 9, having set the fastest opening sector. Lap times soon begin to plummet as the sun breaks through the clouds, Alonso posting a 1'09"977 before Norris lowers the benchmark further to a 1'09"890, both drivers on a set of soft tyres. A second red flag is soon called with 21 minutes remaining, Albon going off at Turn 1 and after damaging his front wing against the barrier, the Williams becomes beached in the gravel. The session resumes with 16 minutes remaining and as the threat of rain diminishes, drivers focus on race simulations with the order remaining as before the stoppage. It leaves Norris fastest, 0.087s clear of Alonso with Piastri third, the McLaren driver under investigation for a pit lane incident with George Russell as the pair make minor contact. The Mercedes driver finishes fourth from Verstappen, who is six-tenths away from Norris, as Hamilton, the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), and Hulkenberg complete the top 10. The first two Free Practice sessions of the Dutch Grand Prix ended with Lando Norris on top, setting the fastest time in both the morning FP1 and the afternoon FP2. In the latter, the British driver clocked a 1’09”890, improving on his earlier best time of 1’10”278 around the Zandvoort circuit, finishing 0.2s ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. A more than positive return to the track for Norris, who will now aim to reaffirm his role as the leader in Qualifying as well:
"It was nice to be back in the car. It’s definitely a track where you immediately feel what an F1 car can do. Conditions were a bit tricky, but it’s been a good start to the weekend. The competition is tight - tighter than we’d like - so we’ll see what we can do overnight to try and find a bit more performance".
A perfect day for Norris, but not quite for Oscar Piastri. The Australian driver, due to incorrect instructions from his mechanics, narrowly avoided a dangerous collision in the pit lane with George Russell. Race Direction penalized the team with a €5.000 fine:
"It was a solid return. It felt good to be back in the car and everything went fairly well. Some bad weather made things a bit livelier, but I think we made some improvements during the day and found a bit more pace. I think we’re in a good place for tomorrow".
The second Free Practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix was marked by several interruptions due to off-track excursions (Stroll and Albon) and technical issues (Hadjar). Charles Leclerc attempted two qualifying simulations, and during his second run, he was just 0.095s off Norris in the first sector. However, by the second split, the gap had increased to 0.722s. Leclerc aborted the lap and returned to the pits for a short long-run instead. It’s clear that Ferrari is currently struggling to deliver strong performances at Zandvoort. The Monegasque driver admitted it during his post-session interview:
"It’s been the toughest Friday of the year - we have to turn things around tomorrow, but honestly, it will be tough. We’re losing 0.8s in just two corners, Turn 9 and Turn 10, which is kind of crazy. We need a miracle fix, but I don’t know if one exists".
Lewis Hamilton ended the first day with the kind of mixed feelings that have characterized his early months at Ferrari. The World Champion, still struggling to find the right feeling with the SF-25, was 0.8s off the pace in FP2 but did manage to outpace his teammate Charles Leclerc:
"It was good to be back on track. We made some encouraging progress between the two sessions after not being in the right performance window in FP1. There’s still work to do to improve the car’s balance on low fuel, but race pace seemed more consistent. As always, qualifying is crucial here, so the priority is to bring what we learned today into FP3 and keep progressing".
Once again, a podium finish doesn’t seem within reach for the Ferrari SF-25. Leclerc openly acknowledged that Ferrari is facing disappointing performance and that a lot of work is needed to reverse the trend:
"It was a difficult Friday, with the second session slightly better than the first, though we’re still far from where we want to be. We have to do everything possible to turn things around tomorrow. I think it’ll be tough to fight with McLaren and Aston Martin, who were very fast today. Our main difficulties are in two specific corners, and we’ll work to find a solution".
Ferrari has never particularly excelled at Zandvoort, especially over one lap, and this year’s edition seems no different. Nonetheless, Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur remains optimistic - or at least not alarmed:
"We always struggle here, especially in Qualifying. This morning we were far off, but this afternoon we closed the gap, which shows we’re on the right track. We’re losing a lot in the second sector, particularly in long corners like nine and ten. Hopefully, it won’t rain tomorrow because we have some ideas to test that might help us continue to close the gap as we did this afternoon".
Lewis Hamilton spun in both FP1 and FP2, which Vasseur sees as a positive sign:
"It’s good to see Hamilton pushing to the limit. When you're struggling as we are on this track, it's important to rely on both cars to recover. What can we do in this second half of the season? First place is out of reach, second is possible. We got a pole in Hungary, so let’s see what we can do. It’ll also depend on the track characteristics".
Since returning to Formula 1, Zandvoort has always been dominated by Max Verstappen, who has a 75% win and pole rate here. However, this Grand Prix might tell a different story, as Red Bull Racing is in serious trouble, and not even Verstappen’s driving skill can fully hide the car’s technical issues. After finishing fifth in FP2, the three-time World Champion spoke candidly about his weekend expectations, warning fans that despite upgrades to the RB21’s front wing, the package not only isn’t good enough to win - it may struggle to crack the top five:
"Understeer is my main issue, and the middle sector has a lot of long corners, so it’s not ideal. I’m still fighting the same issues, and we’ve tried many solutions, but they don’t seem to change the fundamental problems. I think it will be really hard to make it into the top five. We’ll see overnight if we can find something more, but I don’t expect a major improvement. The layout of this track probably doesn’t help with the problems we’re facing".
The first day of practice also brought little satisfaction for George Russell. In FP2, the Brit only managed the seventh fastest time, though he improved in the afternoon, eventually placing fourth. These performances haven’t quite lived up to the pre-weekend expectations, especially after his podium in Hungary before the summer break:
"It felt great to drive again after a couple of weeks off. The conditions were really tough for everyone. It was very windy, and this circuit has a lot of 180° corners. So when it’s windy, the car is exposed through the whole phase of the corner - unlike circuits like Silverstone, where you’re in and out of corners more quickly. In terms of competitiveness, we may not be as close to the front as we’d like. Race pace seems solid though, more or less in the usual mix".
Among the top teams, Aston Martin stood out in both sessions. Lance Stroll finished third in FP1, and Fernando Alonso did even better in FP2, ending up second behind Lando Norris. Could Aston Martin be Mercedes’ main rival this weekend?
"They’ve been really surprising in the last two races. Aston had a really poor run of form, then they bounced back in Hungary with a great result. They seem quick here. Ferrari looked off the pace today, but I’m sure things can change quickly - same for Verstappen. He had a tough race in Hungary, but I think that was more of an exception. So right now, it looks like a fight with the Astons, with Max, and with us, but I’m sure Ferrari will be in the mix too".
Finally, Russell also shared his view on the incident with Piastri during FP2. Due to a signaling error by McLaren’s mechanics, the two narrowly avoided a dangerous and unusual pit lane collision, which led to a €5.000 fine for the Woking-based team:
"I think he pulled in a bit early and then rejoined. It was a shame - it gave me a fright! When you're on track, you're ready for anything, but when you're in the pit lane going relatively slowly, you’re relaxed. I was looking at the screen and thought, ‘Whoa!’ It really caught me off guard".
An error and a 12th-place finish: the post-holiday return has not started well for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had a tough start to the weekend. The Italian driver beached his car just 15 minutes into FP1, immediately losing valuable track time and confidence on a circuit where both are crucial for preparing for Qualifying. Antonelli paid the price in FP2, ending the session a full second behind George Russell. A clean FP3 will now be essential, though the weather may not cooperate, as rain is forecasted.
"At the start of FP1 I was pushing quite hard, then I locked up, went off track and my session ended after just one lap. Obviously that wasn’t ideal because I lost track time and basically didn’t get any laps in. In FP2 I had to rebuild my rhythm—there’s still a lot of work to do, but we know where we need to improve and we’re looking ahead to tomorrow with optimism. We’ll see what the weather brings. If it’s dry, we’ll try to fix the few things that didn’t go perfectly today. Of course, there were a few mistakes during the lap, but we’ll try to be ready for tomorrow".
Heavy overnight rain leaves the track damp at the start of the one-hour session, with drivers in no rush to head out on to the Zandvoort Circuit for several minutes. Isack Hadjar is eventually the first to venture out, the Racing Bulls driver keen to make up for a lack of running in FP2 after coming to a stop on track with no laps under his belt. But the Frenchman completes just one lap on the intermediate tyre before pitting, stating over the radio that the track is very green as Kimi Antonelli is the next to explore the circuit but on medium Pirelli rubber. Antonelli moves back to the top with a 1'13"740 and times begin to tumble with the majority of the field performing installation laps approaching the 10-minute mark, with Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto both jumping to the head of the standings on the hard tyre. Lance Stroll in his repaired Aston Martin - after a heavy shunt in FP2 which requires a survival cell change overnight - becomes the first driver to use the soft tyre and sets a sub 1'12"0 time, registering a 1'11"854, which is quickly beaten by Antonelli and then Fernando Alonso, the latter with a 1'11"082. Friday pacesetter Norris sets a new benchmark just after the 20-minute point, moving clear at the top of the times with a 1'10"262, with McLaren team mate Piastri less than one-tenth slower on his first lap with the soft tyre. Max Verstappen moves back up to third with the medium compound, just over four-tenths slower than Norris as track conditions continue to improve approaching the halfway point, although free air is at a premium with 20 cars out on circuit. With his second set of soft tyres, Piastri moves to the top with a 1'10"120, the Australian showing himself to be consistently quicker than Norris in the opening sector before losing time over the remainder of the lap. Qualifying simulations become the focus for all teams in the final 15 minutes, with Norris setting a new benchmark - a 1'08"972 - which is comfortably quicker than any of his Friday efforts. Piastri is left trailing his team mate by more than two-tenths with his next effort, which proves to be the pair's best laps. Verstappen's first lap on softs leaves him nearly a full second slower than Norris, as Russell just slots ahead of the Red Bull driver. Russell then suffers a bizarre moment as he is nearly collected by the Aston Martin of Alonso at high speed as both head towards the pit lane entrance, with the incident placed under investigation. Sainz slots his Williams ahead of Verstappen, with the home hero left in fifth from Charles Leclerc's Ferrari and the second Williams of Alex Albon. Stroll, Hadjar and Alonso complete the top 10.
After Norris completes a clean sweep by topping the timesheets across all three practice sessions, the attentions of the paddock at Zandvoort shift to Saturday’s all-important Qualifying. While FP3 earlier in the day starts with a damp track following rain overnight, conditions are dry and sunny as Q1 gets underway at 3:00 p.m. local time. Tsunoda is the first to hit the circuit, with the soft C4 compound the tyre of choice across the board for the opening runs. The yellow flags are out just a few minutes in when Stroll experiences a spin that sends him across the gravel and into the barriers. While the Canadian has a session-ending crash in FP2 on Friday, this time he manages to limp back to the pits where the Aston Martin team assesses the damage. Back out on track, the laps are coming in thick and fast and, once everyone barring Stroll has set a time, Norris again goes quickest via his effort of 1'09"469, just over one-tenth clear of team mate Piastri. Meanwhile, with a few minutes left on the clock, the drivers at risk in the elimination zone are Bortoleto, Tsunoda, Colapinto, Ocon and Stroll. The latter seemingly does not return to action, having climbed out of his car in the garage. With grid position crucial at the tight Zandvoort Circuit, a flurry of lap times goes on the board as the clock ticks down towards the end of Q1. Piastri improves to beat Norris by 0.131s, while Leclerc attempts to better his own effort after finding himself on the bubble in P15. The Monegasque manages to move up to ninth, before Lawson puts in an eye-catching performance to climb up to fifth. Colapinto initially escapes the danger zone, only to be pushed down to 16th, while Bortoleto just makes it through in P15. The Brazilian’s team mate Hulkenberg is not so lucky, exiting in P17, while Haas has a disappointing day as Ocon and Bearman are eliminated in P18 and P19 respectively. Stroll ends the session in P20, having been unable to rejoin following his earlier incident. Ferrari are the first to head out as Q2 begins, with Hamilton and Leclerc initially having the track to themselves. Leclerc spots something unusual along the way, the driver from Monaco reporting that he sees a fox at Turn 10 - which fortunately appears to escape unharmed. The rest of the field joins the fray a few minutes later and Verstappen pleases the home fans by putting in an early benchmark of 1'09"122 - half a second clear of nearest challenger Antonelli - only for Norris to beat that with a 1'08"874, an effort that Piastri is 0.090s adrift from when he completes his own lap.
Verstappen, meanwhile, is left unhappy after encountering Norris - seemingly attempting to keep off the racing line - out on track. But in terms of the order, the names in trouble are Alonso, Lawson, Sainz, Bortoleto and Gasly. The action picks up again as the second runs get underway, and Gasly is one of the first to lift himself out of the elimination zone to P10 - only to then be pushed down by Sainz moving up to eighth. Albon in the sister Williams cannot improve, though, having been dropped down to P13, sparking an unhappy reaction from the Thai driver over the radio. Lawson, on the other hand, again progresses to the top 10 in P8 while Alonso climbs up to P7. All of these moves result in Antonelli dropping to P11, with Tsunoda in P12 from Bortoleto and Gasly, while Albon ultimately ends up down in P15. After each topping one of the previous segments, Q3 sees Norris and Piastri hit the track early - and this time it is Piastri who snatches provisional pole, the Australian pumping in a 1'08"662. When Norris crosses the line, the Briton is a mere 0.012s off his team mate, highlighting the fine margins at play in the battle. Russell, meanwhile, initially proves to be their closest challenger before Verstappen comes through to put his Red Bull into third place. The Ferrari pair of Hamilton and Leclerc follow in P5 and P6, while Hadjar, Alonso, Sainz and Lawson complete the order after the opening runs. This time it is Norris out on track ahead of Piastri, leading to a thrilling sequence as Piastri betters his first sector while Norris improves in the second - but ultimately neither driver improves on their previous time, handing Piastri pole position. Verstappen catches the attention by going quickest of all in the second sector, but the Dutchman’s final lap time puts him in third, ahead of an impressive Hadjar in a career-best fourth for Racing Bulls. Russell claims fifth ahead of the Ferrari pair of Leclerc and Hamilton, with Lawson, Sainz and Alonso rounding out the top 10 in Zandvoort. The three Free Practice sessions of the Dutch Grand Prix concluded with Lando Norris consistently topping the timesheets, confirming McLaren’s clear dominance at Zandvoort. That supremacy over the competition reappeared in Qualifying as well, but this time with a new leader: Oscar Piastri. The Australian set the fastest time with a gap of just 0.012s over his teammate, thus securing his fifth pole position of the season (and of his career):
"It wasn’t one of my best qualifying sessions ever, but if you look at the bigger picture of this weekend, it’s been very satisfying. I was a bit behind at the start of the weekend, as well as at the start of qualifying, and considering that, it was a positive session. I tried something extra and the result was exactly what I was looking for".
The championship leader will therefore line up on pole for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix, highlighting the potential pros and cons of starting from the front on a circuit like Zandvoort:
"Without doubt starting from pole here is a big advantage compared to other tracks, but you have to be careful at the start and also with the tyres, which are softer than last year. It will definitely be a long and interesting race".
The scenario is one we’ve already seen multiple times: Norris leads every Free Practice session, but when it comes to the decisive moment of setting a lap for the grid, Oscar Piastri steps up and takes pole. Piastri’s pole position may not award points, but it carries significant weight, given that overtaking at Zandvoort is extremely difficult and that this track was expected to favor Norris. Unsurprisingly, the Briton expressed some frustration at the outcome of qualifying.
"I’m disappointed, I wanted to take pole and I didn’t manage it. In the end it doesn’t matter if it’s by a hundredth or a second, second place is second place. I wanted to be ahead and it’s frustrating, but there’s nothing I can do. I have to look ahead to tomorrow: tonight I’ll work hard to see what we can find, but it’s a tough track on which to overtake".
Looking to the race, it seems clear that the crucial moment - barring possible strategic twists like in Hungary - will be the start:
"There won’t be many other opportunities, probably the best chance is at the start. Mistakes? There were a couple of spots where I wasn’t as good as I needed to be. I wouldn’t say I made mistakes, but I wasn’t at my absolute best and I paid the price. A small price [in terms of lap time], but in a couple of places I wasn’t at the limit as I should have been and that cost me pole".
Over the radio, Charles Leclerc was not lenient with himself, taking responsibility for a disappointing Q3 that ended with him in sixth place, just 0.05s ahead of Lewis Hamilton. In Zandvoort, the Q3 hero was Isack Hadjar, who managed to put Racing Bulls into fourth position, a feat suggesting that Leclerc and Ferrari, with a stronger lap, could have started alongside Max Verstappen, who secured a solid third place not far off the McLarens.
"This track definitely highlights the weaknesses of our car, but I can’t accept the fact that I was terrible today. Since the start of the weekend, I’ve been struggling, I tried many things with the car to find a direction, something different to get the right solutions, and it didn’t work. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that in Q3 I didn’t put together a good lap - it was really bad. We could have reached fourth place by doing everything properly, but I wasn’t good enough".
A year ago, Leclerc finished third starting from sixth place, but he doesn’t believe a repeat is possible:
"Last year in the race we executed everything perfectly, but even if we did that again, others would need to make strategic errors. I don’t even count McLaren, and Verstappen with the Red Bull is strong. Then there’s us along with the others, so it will be difficult to make the difference and recover".
Since Zandvoort returned to Formula 1, it has never favored Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton has noticed this as well: in the Netherlands he tried something different and was partially rewarded by staying close to Leclerc. In Qualifying, Leclerc again had the upper hand, but with only a small gap. If Leclerc thinks more was possible today, Hamilton does not seem convinced that the SF-25 had that potential:
"It’s not the ideal track, because the car has been very difficult to drive here all weekend, but seventh place is a solid result. I hope I can move forward tomorrow and try to put pressure on those ahead of us. We’re all very close, we need to stay focused and keep pushing. As a team we’ve done a great job - in FP1 we were 1.6s behind, at one point the gap was incredible. We’ve closed it a bit, but it’s still much bigger than we’d like. For tomorrow, I’m hoping for mixed weather conditions, and also that Charles and I will work together to stay ahead and bring home the maximum points possible. After some reflection I’ve definitely improved my approach to the weekend, I’ve changed some things in preparation that made everything more relaxed. As a team we haven’t changed anything, but my side of the garage made some adjustments to try and close the gap to the other Ferrari driver".
If Q1 nearly brought despair to the fans, in Q2 Ferrari suddenly came alive again, almost clearly fighting to be the leading team behind McLaren. Q3 summed up both sides, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton taking sixth and seventh, a halfway result that probably leaves everyone dissatisfied. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, however, is clear about the reasons for such an underwhelming outcome: the track characteristics didn’t help, but also too many errors were made in Friday’s setup choices:
"Could we have done more today? Well, I think Charles made it clear on the in-lap that he made a mistake at Turn 10. That probably cost us the second row, but if we lost something today, I think the real issue happened yesterday in practice, because we were really far off, we struggled. And even though we recovered well today, we started from too far back. It means we need to do a better job on Fridays, because having to improve by a second is too much, and in the end it’s easy to make a mistake. Still, it was a good recovery, because fourth place wasn’t far away".
There was also praise for Lewis Hamilton who, despite again qualifying behind his teammate, showed throughout the weekend that he was very close to Leclerc’s performance:
"He’s having a great weekend. He pushed hard in the first two laps and we were quite impressed to see him spin (yesterday in FP1 and FP2), because he was really on the limit straight away. But it was still a positive sign to come back and push like that after the break, putting everything together. But for him, the same applies as for Charles – we started too far behind yesterday, and it’s not possible to recover that much in just one day. I think it was a setup issue, because yesterday we were a bit out of the ideal window. Every small problem can become huge because you quickly lose direction in terms of balance, driving, and everything. Recovering from 1.5s off as we were yesterday is impossible, it means you’re forced to push right at the limit. But we’ll see tomorrow, we’re focusing on the race because points are scored on Sunday. Our race pace on Friday looked a bit better than our qualifying pace, so everything is still open".
The final word goes to the track characteristics at Zandvoort, which perhaps highlight the limits of the SF-25:
"Problems in Turn 9 and Turn 10? The truth is it’s not just those, but also Turns 7 and 8, which are high-speed and banked. That puts a lot of load on the tyres and it’s easy to overheat them. Then you arrive at the slower corners like 9 and 10 and it’s quite easy to lose the car. That whole section is on the limit and not at all easy, it’s one of the toughest parts. Fight for the podium? Well yes, as always we’re in the same group with Max and Russell since this morning. But now we need to put everything together. Strategy is again on the limit, but we have two cars to fight them and that’s a good starting point".
Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start the Dutch Grand Prix from the eleventh row, in P21. The Italian driver was eliminated in Q2, finishing less than 0.2s behind teammate George Russell, who went on to secure fifth in Q3 behind the surprising Isack Hadjar, fourth for Racing Bulls. Antonelli commented on another disappointing Saturday:
"I paid for the mistake in FP1, because I was playing catch-up all weekend. It’s a real shame, because the feeling in the car was good, I was closer to the others compared to recent weekends, but it’s not easy when you’re missing laps and you have to go straight into long runs, then try to push in qualifying with a car that behaves very differently".
Asked about the wind direction possibly affecting his performance, the Italian replied:
"It could be. In my last attempt, for example, I went a little wide at the final chicane, maybe because I had a tailwind, and I had to brake hard, locking up and losing some time. It was easy to get caught out".
George Russell managed to qualify in fifth place and will therefore start from the third row, alongside Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. The Mercedes driver, after leaving a good impression during Free Practice, seemed to be in contention with Verstappen for third place, but in Q3 he was surprisingly beaten not only by the home hero but also by the Racing Bulls of an impressive Isack Hadjar. At the end of qualifying, Russell calmly analyzed what had happened on track, acknowledging that he had not been able to put together a perfect lap at the decisive moment of the session:
"We didn’t maximize the result. Fifth place is where we deserve to finish when we don’t get everything right. Isack [Hadjar] did a fantastic job and deserves congratulations. Realistically, fourth place was within our reach. I’m a bit disappointed, but this is a very demanding circuit under these conditions. If you manage to complete the laps perfectly, you can probably find up to four tenths, because there’s a lot of wind, you tend to slide, the tyres overheat and then it becomes a vicious circle. Unfortunately, this happened to me on both laps in Q3: it could easily have gone differently, but I didn’t feel at my best and therefore P5 is a fair result".
Looking ahead to the race, however, Russell does not rule out a top-three finish, despite the recovery he will be required to make:
"I believe we can still fight for the podium, to be honest. It will depend on strategy, because this is a tough track to overtake on. And then we don’t know what the weather will be like".
Red Bull Racing once again improved between FP3 and Qualifying, but once again it was - and perhaps above all - Max Verstappen who made the difference in Q3. The four-time World Champion thus keeps alive the hope of staying in the fight with the two dominant McLarens, taking above all the satisfaction of being the best of the rest, while inflicting significant gaps on the rival Mercedes and Ferrari drivers. There was, however, a small doubt: the investigation for driving too slowly on his in-lap after the final chequered flag. That issue was quickly resolved by Race Control who, after meeting with the driver, accepted Verstappen’s explanation that he had slowed for a yellow flag and, without it, would have remained within the maximum lap time permitted by the regulations. No penalty was applied, allowing him to keep third place on the grid. With that matter cleared, Verstappen risked a possible prediction for the race, hoping to give the numerous fans who, as always, flocked to Zandvoort a reason to celebrate:
"I’m hoping for the podium, I think it’s a realistic ambition. Normally in the race we’ve had ups and downs, sometimes it went well and sometimes not so good compared to the pace we showed in qualifying. But of course I hope tomorrow will be a good day".
Anything more, however, seems out of reach:
"Pole position? No, I honestly never even thought about it. The gap to McLaren was too big in Qualifying and I just wanted to be able to secure third place, to be honest. The whole weekend has been a bit tricky, but then in qualifying everything went better and that was very positive. I think the last change we made to the car brought it to a better operating level and that allowed me to push a bit more. So for us, finishing third is a great result. The McLarens are dominant everywhere, so it went well and it was a good turnaround for us compared to the rest of the weekend".
After an exciting end to Saturday’s Qualifying session sees Piastri just edge out Norris to take pole position, the paddock reconvenes on Sunday, August 31, 2025, for the first race of the second half of the 2025 season, the 72-lap Dutch Grand Prix. It is confirmed in the build-up to the event that one change is made to the starting order, with Bearman - who qualifies down in P19 - set to start from the pit lane after the Haas team changes power unit elements in his car under parc fermé conditions. While rainfall is forecast entering into the weekend at Zandvoort, the showers mostly stay away throughout the event so far - and this again looks to be the case as the race start approaches, with the drivers greeted by dry albeit cloudy weather on Sunday. The risk of rain during the Grand Prix, however, stands at 60%. Meanwhile, it is confirmed that Hamilton will be investigated after the race for a potential yellow flag infringement in a pit entry incident. When the cars assemble on the grid and the tyre blankets are removed ahead of the event - anticipated to be a one-stop race for many, though a two-stop can’t be ruled out - it is revealed that the majority of the pack is starting on the medium compound, with the exception of Verstappen, Tsunoda, Colapinto, and Hulkenberg running the soft, while the Haas pair bolt on the hard rubber. Once the formation lap is completed and the lights go out - under increasingly dark skies - Piastri makes a strong start to hold the lead, while Norris soon comes under pressure from Verstappen. The Dutchman then has a wobble into Turn 3 after going around the outside of Norris but manages to hold position and remain ahead of the Briton. Elsewhere, Leclerc gains a place on Russell to move up to fifth - with Hadjar leading a train of cars in fourth - while Albon also makes an impressive start to climb from P15 to P10. Just as Piastri extends his lead to more than two seconds by Lap 4, the McLaren driver is warned that class one rain is on the way in a matter of minutes. And as the next few laps tick down, Verstappen’s soft tyres look to potentially be falling away, with Piastri’s advantage growing to nearly four seconds as of Lap 8. Norris, meanwhile, closes in on Verstappen - the gap now within DRS range - and ultimately makes a move around the outside of the reigning World Champion at Turn 1 on Lap 9. The British driver then gets some encouragement from his race engineer to chase down Piastri.
Over in the pit lane, Stroll - who is earlier noted for a collision with Bortoleto before the stewards deem that no investigation is necessary - becomes the first to pit. The Canadian surprisingly emerges with the hard tyre bolted on despite the forecast suggesting incoming rain. By Lap 12, Norris pumps in another fastest lap as he continues to eat into Piastri’s advantage, while Verstappen drops back to more than five seconds adrift of the Briton. Bearman, meanwhile, reports concerns about Bortoleto’s front wing, which appears to be damaged during his earlier incident with Stroll. Shortly afterwards, replays show Stroll appearing to run over a piece of debris on the track, suggesting that the endplate from the Kick Sauber has fallen off. Elsewhere, Antonelli is hot on the tail of Tsunoda in a battle for 11th, while Alpine swaps their cars to put Gasly ahead as Colapinto’s soft tyres look to be fading. Piastri radios in about drops of rain on his visor at Lap 15 - and within a couple of laps, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is seen holding out his hand from his position at the pit wall to assess whether the rainfall has indeed arrived. The gap between the papaya cars now stands at three seconds. Race control announces that Bortoleto is under investigation for driving his car in an unsafe condition, while his manager, Alonso, becomes the next car to pit for a set of hard tyres as his teammate does earlier. Others soon start to follow, with the likes of Tsunoda, Colapinto, and Hulkenberg diving into the pit lane - all bolting on the hard compound - just as Norris is asked if he can get closer to the car ahead. Maybe a touch, the driver in P2 responds. As he follows Russell up ahead, Hamilton suggests that an undercut might be necessary to get ahead - but on Lap 23, the Ferrari driver hits the barriers after going wide through the banking at Turn 3, putting him out of the race and sparking yellow flags which then become a Safety Car. This triggers a flurry of action in the pit lane as most of the pack takes the opportunity to make their stop, with McLaren double-stacking Piastri and Norris. All works out smoothly for Piastri - who re-emerges as the leader - while Norris has a slight delay after being held up by the front jack but remains in second. While the majority of the field goes for the hard compound, Verstappen puts on a set of medium tyres and stays in third, with Hadjar still in fourth from Russell, Leclerc, Lawson, Sainz, Ocon, and Albon. The only drivers not to pit are the Haas cars. All eyes are on how Piastri handles the restart as the Safety Car phase ends on Lap 26 - and the Australian times it well, maintaining the lead from his teammate. Further back, there is trouble for Lawson and Sainz, with contact between the pair seeing both drop backwards.
Sainz says of his rival as each car pits due to damage on their respective cars:
"He’s just so stupid".
While these two are now down in P18 and P19, Piastri builds up a gap from Norris at the front to 1.7s by Lap 31 while Russell tries to find a way past Hadjar in the scrap for fourth. Russell comments as he fights with the Racing Bulls machine:
"Moving under braking".
The Virtual Safety Car is soon deployed due to a piece of debris on the main straight, with the crowd cheering when said piece of bodywork is recovered by a marshal. Meanwhile, Norris is told we would try and go to the end on this in terms of his strategy - and, behind him, a feisty Leclerc snatches P5 from Russell in a close duel. Russell voices his unhappiness about the manoeuvre over the radio, while Leclerc suggests that the Mercedes driver does not give him room earlier in the lap. Elsewhere, Sainz’s tricky day gets worse when he is handed a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Lawson. The stewards are kept busy at Zandvoort, with it then being confirmed that the incident between Leclerc and Russell will be investigated after the race. Up ahead, Norris - 1.7s adrift of his teammate - is told that his best chance to beat Piastri is to do so on track rather than via strategy. There is also plenty going on further back. Alonso cuts a frustrated figure in P13, the Aston Martin driver asking if an undercut is possible as he finds himself in a train of cars led by Bearman in P11, with Tsunoda trying to find a way past the Haas. Over at Mercedes, Russell - seemingly carrying some damage from his earlier altercation with Leclerc - is asked to let Antonelli through, moving the Italian up to P6 as he tries to chase down Leclerc with just over 30 laps to go. By Lap 48, Piastri continues to lead Norris by 1.2s, with Verstappen still making his medium tyres last in third while Hadjar keeps his Racing Bulls in fourth. Sainz, meanwhile, is unhappy to be informed about his penalty for the Lawson incident, the Spaniard commenting:
"Who? Who gets a penalty? Me? You are joking".
With the final portion of the race still to go, plenty of questions remain regarding strategy. If the Safety Car is deployed again, will McLaren pit their drivers or leave them out? Should that scenario not arise, though, Norris has around 20 laps to catch Piastri on track. Elsewhere, Alonso pits earlier on following his frustrations and finds a way past Bortoleto to move up to 15th, while Antonelli and Leclerc each pit - only for Leclerc to then hit the barriers after being hit by the Mercedes, putting the Ferrari out of the race just out of the Turn 3 banking. Those earlier questions about a second Safety Car then come to fruition as the vehicle is sent out again, with McLaren carrying out another double-stack for the hard tyres while the majority of the pack also takes the opportunity to put on another set of tyres. Antonelli limps back to the pits, having sustained damage in that clash with Leclerc - and to make matters worse for the Italian, he is subsequently handed a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision, as well as being noted for speeding in the pit lane. Elsewhere, the two Haas cars both make a long-awaited stop, while Tsunoda is told that he needs to manage a throttle issue. As Lap 57 ticks down, the Safety Car peels into the pits and Piastri again executes the restart well - and while Norris initially faces pressure from Verstappen, the Dutchman looking racy on a fresh set of soft tyres, the McLaren pair are able to break away. The intra-team battle is still very much alive, though, with Norris remaining on the tail of Piastri with just over 10 laps to go. Behind them, Antonelli is given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, meaning that the rookie - running in seventh - needs to maintain a decent gap from the chasing Bearman in eighth to keep that position.
"Possibly a few very light drops".
Piastri is warned of potential impending rain with a few laps to go - but the race then takes a dramatic turn when Norris reports a strange smell from his car just as smoke starts to emerge from the back of the McLaren, forcing the Briton to pull over and retire from the Grand Prix. As the Safety Car appears for a third time, Norris is seen perching on the grass near his stricken car, with the retirement marking a potentially pivotal moment in the championship battle. Also still sat in the sand dunes in another section of the track is Leclerc, both drivers cutting pensive figures. While those watching on try to digest what has happened, the race is still not over - and the Safety Car again returns to the pits on Lap 70, with Piastri holding off any potential challenge from Verstappen while Hadjar now looks at a potential debut podium in third. After a drama-packed 72 laps, Piastri ultimately crosses the line by 1.271s from Verstappen to seal a seventh Grand Prix triumph of the season and extend his championship lead to 34 points over Norris following the Briton’s retirement. Behind them is Hadjar in P3, the Racing Bulls driver marking an impressive afternoon at Zandvoort with his debut appearance on the rostrum. Russell - who will visit the stewards after the race following that earlier battle with Leclerc - claims fourth, ahead of Albon in fifth. Bearman grabs a career-best P6, with Stroll, Alonso, Tsunoda, and Ocon rounding out the top 10. The incredible became reality for Racing Bulls. At the end of a fantastic race and a truly perfect weekend, Isack Hadjar claimed his first-ever Formula 1 podium. The retirement of Lando Norris just a few laps from the end of the Zandvoort Grand Prix gifted the young French talent a well-deserved third place. Starting from P4, Hadjar didn’t make a single mistake, despite pressure from Charles Leclerc for much of the race and later from George Russell’s Mercedes in the final stages. But Hadjar is the real deal - in some ways, an old-school character - and he made headlines for the confident swagger with which he faced the media post-race. While a hint of disbelief came through in his team radio, in front of the cameras Hadjar made it clear that this surprising podium is a starting point, not the finish line:
"I might sound boring, but this result is something I’ve always imagined: me standing on a Formula 1 podium - and honestly, I see myself doing much more than this. I’m really happy it happened. I can now say I’ve been on an F1 podium - but I’m far from done. What message does a race like this send to the world? That I’m good. That I know how to drive, and not just drive - I can drive fast. I can drive anything. Well, maybe not a MotoGP bike - that I can’t do. Am I ready for Red Bull? I’m ready for whatever comes".
The Dutch Grand Prix might have been the decisive turning point in the fight for the World Championship title. The technical issue that forced Lando Norris to retire, combined with Oscar Piastri’s victory, allowed the Australian to gain 25 points in one go on his teammate. Norris is already clearly losing the on-track battle against the championship leader, who has consistently managed to keep the other McLaren at a safe distance. Instead of the expected 7-point loss, Norris saw 18 points vanish. After the race, Norris appeared understandably bitter, though he tried to put on a brave face, looking to put the Zandvoort race behind him quickly. In that sense, racing again next weekend in Monza is the perfect chance to mentally reset:
"I think I had strong pace, but I don’t need to say I’m proud of myself - it’s not necessary. I drove well, had a good race, managed the tyres well, and always kept a good gap to Oscar. If there had been a chance, I would’ve been there. But there wasn’t much more I could’ve done. I’d have been happy with P2 anyway, because P1 wasn’t possible today. The retirement? Yes, it’s frustrating, but I need to keep my head up and focus on Italy. Obviously, in terms of the championship, this was a very different setback. I lost a lot of points to something that clearly wasn’t my fault. These things happen, but what can I do? I’ve already put it behind me and now I’m focused on next weekend".
Pole position, fastest lap, and the win: the Dutch GP was flawless for Oscar Piastri, who further extended his lead in the standings. With his ninth career win, he now has a 34-point advantage. The Australian enjoyed a hard-fought victory amid tricky weather conditions and several incidents that brought out the Safety Car multiple times:
"It was a complicated race in terms of pace control and managing all aspects. I was always in control, which is a good sign. There were three Safety Cars, some rain, and we weren’t sure how strong it would be. We had to be careful with a few things, but I’m proud of the win because we kept everything under control in the best way possible".
The image of Charles Leclerc sitting in the run-off area, reflecting after an incident for which he bore no blame, perfectly reflects the frustration of the Monegasque driver in this tough moment. After qualifying P6, Leclerc got off to a bold start, overtaking Russell with a great move and slotting in just behind Hadjar. After his second pit stop - a decision he seemed to disagree with - Leclerc was hit by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, ending his race:
"Very clearly, I think Kimi tried something that wasn’t realistic. Diving inside at that corner is possible, but you never manage to hold the position through the exit. He tried it, but unfortunately… It felt like he went a bit wide and hit me - and that was the end. This weekend was a nightmare, from FP1 to the race. In the race, things were a bit better, but in terms of performance, it was still really hard to drive. You had to be ultra-aggressive - which I was, twice, with George - because we were unlucky with the Safety Car. In the end, it doesn’t change much".
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s performance continues to fall short. To his credit, after the race, the Italian rookie went straight to the Ferrari garage to apologize to Leclerc. But the Monegasque wasn’t pleased:
"Rookie or not, that was definitely a serious mistake. Yes, you need to be bold on this track, but diving inside at Turn 3... hmm".
Antonelli later told the media:
"It was definitely my mistake. I went for the overtake, and at one point I was even side-by-side with him, but obviously, he came back ahead using the banking. What I didn’t expect was him coming back down the banking so sharply. When I saw him returning in front, I tried to back out and let him go, I didn’t try to force it - but it wasn’t enough, and unfortunately, we made contact. I apologize to Charles and the team. Now I’m looking forward to Monza - a good qualifying will be key because our race pace is solid. I just need to start further up and try to fight. It’ll be my second home race - I hope I can give the fans something to cheer for".
Sitting on a small hill, mulling over a weekend to forget, while two drivers are chasing a dream of a first world title and another is celebrating his maiden podium - that’s the bitter snapshot of Charles Leclerc’s race. Taken out by a reckless move from Antonelli at Turn 3, things didn’t stop there: Leclerc was also summoned by the race stewards to explain his spectacular pass on George Russell - a strange contradiction in a sport that demands entertainment at all costs, yet penalizes those who deliver it cleanly.
"I have to go see the stewards? I didn’t know. I don’t expect any penalty. In the end, I have to be aggressive - we’re fighting Mercedes for position in the Constructors’ standings - and I’d do the same again in future races. We’ll see what they say. As for the incident with Kimi, it’s frustrating because until the chequered flag, anything’s possible. Unfortunately, today it ended earlier than I wanted. Mistakes happen, but I don’t want to get into the details - I haven’t even watched it back yet. This is a track where you have to be very bold to overtake, but making a move inside at Turn 3 was just too risky".
He concludes:
"I can’t wait for Monza. The energy is always amazing, and we really need it after a weekend like this. I don’t know if it’ll be enough to win - I hope so - but it will be great to see all the fans again. That alone makes me smile. Now I need to forget this race".
Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, commenting on the Russell-Leclerc incident:
"Russell didn’t see Leclerc - I don’t think there will be a penalty, and if there is, it would be really harsh. Today we had good pace - Leclerc was matching Verstappen’s times - but we paid dearly for a very poor Friday that ruined our weekend. It was definitely a tough race - a tough weekend overall. But everyone worked well - from the drivers to the engineers - and we managed to recover solid pace. I think we could’ve fought with Verstappen and Russell. We passed Russell twice on track - not bad. Leaving the Netherlands with zero points hurts - it hurts everyone. The lesson here is we need to have better Fridays to start ahead and not need to overtake these drivers. I really appreciated Kimi Antonelli coming to apologize. It was a classy move - many wouldn’t have done it. I thanked him for it. I know it wasn’t intentional - just overly optimistic - and he realized it didn’t work. I appreciated that he came to both of us to say sorry".
Ferrari was let down by Hamilton at the very moment the engineers attempted an undercut on Hadjar with Leclerc. Still, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur expressed satisfaction with the British driver’s weekend:
"He played an important role in our recovery after a very difficult Friday. I haven’t spoken to him yet about the incident".
George Russell, who finished only fourth at the chequered flag, had reasons to be frustrated after contact with Charles Leclerc. The overtake by the Monegasque caused damage to his Mercedes, preventing him from challenging for a podium position in the closing stages, which was being defended by Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar. Despite the mid-corner touch, in post-race interviews, Russell focused primarily on the fact that Leclerc’s overtake occurred off track, with all four wheels beyond the white line that marks the circuit’s legal limits:
"I need to watch the replay carefully because I haven’t seen it clearly yet. I’ve honestly never seen anyone try to overtake around the outside at that corner, because the natural racing line pushes you out towards the gravel. I didn’t push him off - I was just following my racing line, and he went off on his own. It looked like a great overtake, but it happened outside the track limits, and it also damaged my car quite a bit, ruining the rest of my Sunday".
Just a few minutes after the race ended, both drivers went to Race Control to discuss the incident with the stewards. Given that Leclerc retired later due to the collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli, it's possible that any penalty could be applied on the starting grid of the next Grand Prix:
"Do I expect a penalty for the contact? I don’t know, we’ll see. I wouldn’t say Charles was too aggressive in the move, but the fact is, he was off the track. The rules about track limits are clear - if you take that line in qualifying, even just barely, your lap gets deleted. It’s not like I forced him off. I just held my line".
After Dutch GP qualifying, Lewis Hamilton had shown cautious optimism for the race. Starting P7, on a circuit as challenging for overtaking as Zandvoort, didn’t leave much room for ambition, but the Briton hoped to climb up the field. After a clean start, Hamilton ran in seventh for much of the opening laps, before suffering a major crash at Turn 3. The British driver lost control of his SF-25 on the banking and hit the wall with the front end, retiring from the race after just 23 of the 72 laps.
It was a double blow for Ferrari, as the Safety Car triggered by Hamilton’s crash came right after Leclerc’s pit stop:
"I’m not exactly sure what happened - I’ll need to review the replays. As I was going up the banking, the rear snapped out and I couldn’t catch it. The car was a bit nervous, but I do think we made genuine progress this weekend, and the pace was quite strong. I was catching up to Russell and I think I had the pace to get past some of the cars ahead. Not finishing a race and going out this early is unusual. It’s not a good feeling - but that’s how it went".
Andrea Stella can celebrate in the Netherlands, but this time only halfway. No double podium for McLaren: Oscar Piastri’s well-deserved victory wasn’t accompanied by the expected second place from Lando Norris. The British driver was forced to retire seven laps from the end while in P2, due to a technical issue with his MCL39. In his usual post-race press conference, Andrea Stella spoke about the technical problem that appeared on Norris’ car, explaining that the team hasn’t yet identified the exact cause that forced the Briton to retire early from the race at Zandvoort:
"The whole team will look into the issue, trying to learn from it, analyzing the problem and working to resolve it to ensure that this doesn’t become a decisive factor for the future, not just for the continuation of this season, although that is obviously our main objective at the moment. We have some initial indications based on the data, but honestly, we don’t have complete proof of what happened to Lando’s car. I would therefore refrain from speculating whether it’s a chassis or engine issue. To be honest, in terms of the result, it doesn’t make much of a difference".
Naturally, in a title fight that is wide open for the Woking team, an issue like the one experienced by Norris carries even more weight:
"Today, we had what seems to be a reliability issue, which is always disappointing, but I would say it’s even more inconvenient because it affects a situation where we, as a team, wanted to remain as neutral as possible. So, it’s not ideal that we had a problem with the car, but unfortunately, that’s how it went".