The Dutch Formula 1 Grand Prix 2026 saw McLaren driver and defending Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris take his second victory in a row. Mr. Norris is in good form, perhaps the best form of the season.
In the short-form sprint race over the weekend, Mercedes driver George Russell took victory from pole position, followed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in second position from a third-placed start, and then Mr. Norris in third position from a second-placed start. The sprint race was uneventful.
The main race, which Mr. Norris won from pole position, was a more interesting event. The starting grid comprised Mr. Norris (pole position), Mr. Russell second, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) third, Oscar Piastri (McLaren) fourth, and then the Ferraris of Sir Lewis Hamilton and Mr. Leclerc. The track was damp at the start of the race, and on the first lap Max Verstappen (Red Bull) crashed into the barriers, bringing on the red flags to have the race stopped and then restarted. On the formation lap for the restart, Oliver Bearman’s (Haas) car failed, so the field was two cars down after just a couple of laps.
In the first phase of the race, Mr. Antonelli took the lead from Mr. Norris, and Mr. Piastri did well to overtake Mr. Leclerc to reach third position. From there, things did not go the Australian driver’s way, as his team put him on a strategy to match Mr. Russell (and also provided a slow pitstop), and so Mr. Piastri fell down the order as Mr. Russell, Sir Lewis, and Mr. Leclerc advanced. In good form, Mr. Norris managed to overtake Mr. Antonelli for the lead, and positions remained fairly stable through the last phase of the race.
In the end, it was Mr. Norris taking the win ahead of the Mercedes drivers (Mr. Antonelli and Mr. Russell), followed by the two Ferrari drivers (Sir Lewis and Mr. Leclerc), and then Mr. Piastri. Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda returned to the grid for this race, taking one of the Racing Bull seats, while New Zealander Liam Lawson moved from Racing Bull to Red Bull for this race, replacing the injured Isack Hadjar.
Mr. Antonelli retains a comfortable lead in the World Drivers’ Championship, followed by Mr. Norris and Sir Lewis on equal points. In the World Constructors’ Championship, there is a clear order amongst the top four, with Mercedes leading from Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull.