Returning from the summer break, Formula One arrived for the 12th round of the 2026 season and the final instalment of the Dutch Grand Prix. For back to back wins, McLaren’s Lando Norris set the pace and crossed the line 11 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Completing the podium was the Mercedes pair of Kimi Antonelli in second and George Russell in third.
Despite being favourites this weekend, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failed to reach the podium or make a strong impression. Rounding off the points-scorers were Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly. In the midfield battle for the best of the rest title, there was plenty of action.
Out of the 22 drivers, six failed to cross the line: Max Verstappen, Ollie Bearman, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Alex Albon. 72 laps of racing saw plenty of action and a handful of time penalties.
Lights out and opening Laps
On the opening lap, Norris was able to retain his lead however a major crash for Verstappen saw red flag conditions established before the end of the opening lap. For the hometown hero, who has been incredibly successful at his home Grand Prix in the past with multiple pole positions and wins, the result was disappointing however he thankfully emerged unhurt from the crash.
Bearman’s retirement prompted anotehr standing start ended with Norris being pipped by Antonelli; the Mercedes and McLaren driver then settled into first and second. As the action continued for those at the front of the field, Arvid Lindblad and Franco Colapinto were penalised with drive-through penalties for overtaking under double-yellow conditions.
On Lap 19, Russell trigged the first round of pit-stops when he swapped onto a set of hard-tyres. Following that, a number of other front-running drivers made their first pit-stops however they all struggled with slow stops.
Battles for Positions
Up and down the grid, drivers were making the most of improving track conditions and the ease of overtaking with this new generation of cars. On Lap 25, Gasly, Hulkenberg and Lindblad became involved in a battle for the tail-end point scoring positions in which Hulkenberg emerged victorious and Gasly lost out the most by dropping two positions.
Higher up the order, the ongoing fight between McLaren and Ferrari continued as Leclerc and Hamilton passed Piastri with relative ease on Lap 34 and Lap 35. Subsequently, Piastri was shown a black and white flag for driving erratically in his defence against Hamilton. However, the main excitement at the front occurred on Lap 54 when Norris made the crucial pass on Antonelli and then Hamilton to gain the lead of the race.
Closing Stages and chequered Flag
The closing stages of the race began with the retirement of Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas for yet another disappointing outing for the American newcomers. At the front of the grid, Norris seemed well on his way for a back to back victory with a sizeable gap of 11 seconds behind him to second place. However, despite the gap, the Mercedes pit-wall made the choice to swap their Russell and Antonelli in the hopes that the Italian driver could challenge for the lead of the race.
Ahead of the final two laps of the race, it was announced that Colapinto and Lawson, who was driving for Red Bull this weekend, would receive 10-second time penalties for yellow flag infringements. These infringements occurred when Ocon pulled over to the side of the track to retire. Contact between the two Williams cars on Lap 70 established Virtual Safety Car conditions; Albon retired due to terminal damage and Carlos Sainz was given a 10 second time penalty.
Driver of the Day at the Dutch Grand Prix
As the first race back from the summer break, there were plenty of questions about the potential upgrades that teams had introduced up and down the grid. No driver answered the questions about performance and pace like race winner Norris who took his 13th career Grand Prix win and his 10th from pole position.
With the points haul collected from this race win, and those around him in the championship standings having less successful weekends, Norris has moved into fourth in the World Drivers’ Championship standings with 159 points. With a gap of 83 points to championship leader Antonelli, and the McLaren proving capable of producing dominant performances, there is perhaps still a potential for Norris to turn things around in the second half of this season.
Championship Impact of Dutch Round
Coming into the second half of the season, Antonelli sat 50 points clear of Hamilton in second place. With the 12th round of the season complete, the Italian driver has retained his lead in the WDC championship and extended it to 59 points. However, the driver in second place has changed from Hamilton to the other Mercedes driver Russell.
In the World Constructors’ Championship, the numbers continue to grow even if the teams stay the same. Out in front, Mercedes maintain their stellar track-record so far this season with 425 points with Ferrari (338 points) and McLaren (253 points) following behind. In the battle for the midfield crown, Racing Bulls and Alpine continue to keep each other close and honest with the former on 66 points and the latter on 63 points.
Looking ahead
For the 13th round of the 2026 season, F1 will return to the Temple of Speed in Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. As the home Grand Prix for the championship leader as well as the base for the most successful team in the history of the sport, Scuderia Ferrari, home expectations will be high as the Italian crowd will be hoping for a spectacular show.
With back to back race wins, momentum is firmly on McLaren’s side heading to Monza and Mercedes’ main priority will be, dealing with the rest of the pack who are fast-catching up in pace. Approaching the rest of the season, there can be no doubt that fans will be on the edge of their seats.
Featured Image Credit: Formula 1
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