Norris beats Antonelli to claim final Dutch GP win

Max Verstappen's first-lap red-flag crash at Zandvoort left Lando Norris and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli to fight for control of the race on damp asphalt. Norris, who started from pole position, lost that advantage when the inside of the grid remained wetter than the outside following a shower of rain at the first start. Antonelli passed Russell for second behind Norris at that first launch. When Verstappen's inside wheels caught the wet painted line at the end of lap one, he lost the rear and sent his Red Bull nose-first into the outside wall, forcing officials to stop the race.

At the restart, Antonelli took the lead from Norris. What followed was a pit-stop chess match that McLaren orchestrated with precision. Norris and Antonelli made their first stops together on lap 21, both resuming in second and third place behind Lewis Hamilton, who delayed his first stop by a further four laps. Norris closed the gap to Antonelli to within two seconds by the time the Mercedes driver made his second pit stop on lap 40, per BBC Sport. McLaren waited a further seven laps before making Norris' second stop, a delay that allowed him to rejoin only 4.8 seconds behind Antonelli with fresher tires.

With that tire offset, Norris began hunting. He passed Antonelli around Tarzan, the long banked first corner, after Antonelli feinted a move on Hamilton that left a space for Norris to brake late on the outside line. A few laps later, Norris then passed Hamilton through Turn 10 and into the following chicane, confirming the win.

Antonelli held his second place despite a late complication: Mercedes had ordered George Russell to let Antonelli past earlier in the race, leaving Russell vulnerable to Hamilton's pressure. A final virtual safety car helped Russell hold on for the podium in third.

Fernando Alonso earned Aston Martin-Honda their first points since Monaco with an excellent drive to ninth place on a one-stop strategy. Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto also lost control after Verstappen's crash but spun while staying on the track and was able to resume.

In the championship, Antonelli's lead over Russell remains at 59 points, per BBC Sport. Russell is tied on points with Hamilton but classified ahead by virtue of his two wins to Hamilton's one. Norris, after his second consecutive victory following his Hungarian Grand Prix win from pole position before the summer break, closes to 83 points off the lead.