What a finale in Zandvoort!
The Dutch Grand Prix looked uneventful until the crashes began. It all ended with the unthinkable — Lando Norris’ car breaking down in the closing laps. Oscar Piastri came out on top, extending his lead over Norris to 34 points. Max Verstappen finished 2nd, while Isack Hadjar claimed his first-ever podium in 3rd. With merit, Hadjar was voted ‘Driver of the Day’. Gabriel Bortoleto struggled with traction and crossed the line in 15th. Formula 1 now heads to Monza next Sunday for the Italian Grand Prix, the fastest race on the calendar.
Hadjar, the 20-year-old French-Algerian rookie driving for Racing Bulls, has emerged as the breakout star of the 2025 season — and a strong candidate to take Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull seat next year.
Until Norris’ McLaren engine failed with seven laps to go, the top four held their grid positions: Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, and Russell. Struggling for grip at the start, Gabriel Bortoleto dropped from 13th to 19th, and later suffered contact from Lance Stroll.
With drizzle slickening the track, Lewis Hamilton slid off and hit the barriers on lap 24, forcing his retirement. Six laps later, Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson tangled, with a furious Sainz handed a 10-second penalty. On lap 54, Kimi Antonelli misjudged the banked corner and knocked Charles Leclerc out of the race, crushing Ferrari’s hopes. Feeling responsible, Antonelli went to Ferrari’s motorhome to apologize.
Curiously, Gabriel Bortoleto chose not to pit during the Leclerc incident, unlike the rest of the field. The decision backfired: the team believed staying out on worn tires could pay off, but instead, he lost several positions to rivals.
Just when it seemed the drama was over, Norris’ McLaren began smoking and soon came to a halt. At the restart, the leaders held their places.
Piastri’s pole position on Saturday set a new track record of 1:08.662, breaking Verstappen’s previous benchmark from 2021 (1:08.885). He also clocked the fastest lap of the race at 1:12.271.
Takeaways from the Dutch GP:
1 – Norris now faces mounting pressure to cut Piastri’s 34-point advantage. If McLaren fails to repair his engine or is forced to use fresh components, he could face a 10-place grid penalty at Monza.
2 – Hamilton overstepped under yellow flags and will serve a five-place grid drop in Italy.
3 – With fewer points than teammate Lance Stroll (32 to 30), two-time champion Fernando Alonso finds himself on shaky ground. Tensions inside Aston Martin could escalate in Monza.
The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will bow out of Formula 1 next year, with its final edition set to be held in 2026. However, speculation over the weekend suggested the race might return in 2027 at Assen — also home to MotoGP.