Dutch Grand Prix: F1 Race Results

Who will win the first race after the summer break?

James Fiorucci 5 min read

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Formula 1 returned after a lengthy summer break for the Dutch Grand Prix along the shores of Zandvoort.

Dutch Grand Prix: F1 Race Results
Lando Norris dominated Qualifying (Image Credit: @F1 on X)

Max Verstappen is looking to make it four consecutive victories at his home race in front of a fervent Dutch crowd. But right from the beginning of the weekend it seemed as though the defending Champion wouldn’t have as easy of a time as he has had around Circuit Zandvoort in previous seasons.

The Red Bull RB20 hadn’t looked like the quickest package before the summer break, and this trend appears to have continued in The Netherlands. Verstappen’s nearest rival in the Championship, Lando Norris, topped the first practice session and followed this up with a dominant pole position on Saturday’s Qualifying.

A gap of just under four tenths to Verstappen in P2 demonstrated just how much the balance of performance had shifted in favour of McLaren compared to the first few rounds of 2024. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri will line up third, while the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez will start from fifth on the grid.

Penalties and disqualifications

Perez was impeded on a fast lap by Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes during Qualifying. After race stewards evaluated the incident, they handed Hamilton a three-place grid drop from 11th to 14th. The seven-time World Champion had struggled with the wind on his fast laps and failed to make it into Q3 for the first time in ten rounds.

The Williams of Alexander Albon impressed by setting the eighth-fastest time in the final part of Qualifying. However, the Thai driver was subsequently disqualified from the results after parts of his car’s bodywork was found to fall outside technical regulations. This moved all drivers initially behind him up one position on the starting grid apart from Kevin Magnussen of Haas, who will start from the pitlane after changing several parts on his car.

So, the grid is set. Can Norris hold on for his second win of the season, or will Verstappen take a popular victory at his home Grand Prix? Read on to find out.

The starting grid
Image
Image Credit: @fiadocsbot on X
Lights out

The top ten runners all opted to start the 72-lap event on the Medium compound of tyre. As the five lights went out, it was Verstappen who eased past Norris before the first turn. A poor start from Norris who lit up his rear tyres off the line, although he managed to keep Russell behind and retain second. Both McLarens suffered subpar getaways, as Piastri relinquished the final podium spot to the Mercedes of Russell.

Hamilton in the other Mercedes was keen to make good use of his Soft tyres, and duly made a clean overtake on Yuki Tsunoda on lap two to claim P12. Meanwhile, Verstappen had already broken out of DRS range of Norris, with the gap over one second at the end of the third tour.

A train was developing behind Russell in third, with Piastri, Charles Leclerc and Perez all gaining DRS behind each other. At the back of the field, Magnussen ran wide into the gravel at Turn 1 and fell to 20th position. Carlos Sainz, looking to make amends for a poor Qualifying performance, snuck past Fernando Alonso to move up to eighth place on lap eight.

The race develops

Next up for Sainz was Pierre Gasly in P7. The former eventually got past the Frenchman on lap 11 around Gerlachbocht, while Hamilton snatched 11th from Nico Hulkenberg on the previous lap.

At the front of the pack, Norris was sticking around one second behind Verstappen. He told his race engineer on the team radio that he thought his pace was strong, indicating a developing battle against the Dutch driver for the lead. Meanwhile Hamilton made another overtake, this time on Lance Stroll for tenth.

Norris made his move on lap 17, as he briefly drew alongside Verstappen along the main straight. Verstappen managed to hold onto the lead, but complained of poor tyre grip. Only a lap later, Norris went down the inside at Tarzanbocht and reclaimed the top spot from the Dutchman.

On lap 21 Norris had opened up the gap to Verstappen to over a second. With no more DRS for the home hero, he began to lose touch with the McLaren driver at a rapid rate. The gap to Russell in third was a further five seconds, while Leclerc was pressuring Piastri for fourth place.

First pitstops

Hamilton’s tyres were beginning to fall off in terms of grip, though he did attempt an overtake on Gasly for P8 to no avail. A lap later on lap 24 the Briton changed onto the durable Hard tyres, dropping to 16th.

This prompted numerous other frontrunners to come into the pits, including Leclerc on lap 25 and Russell the next lap. They fell to seventh and ninth respectively. A poor 3.4-second pitstop caused Russell to fall behind Leclerc.

Verstappen, already more than six seconds behind Norris, came in on lap 28 for the Hard tyre. Norris was forced to respond to this and made the same strategy call on the following tour.

Piastri became the new race leader, albeit for only a short while as he came in for fresh rubber at the end of lap 33. The Australian fell to fifth behind Leclerc and Russell in third and fourth respectively.

Second half

As the race reached half distance, Norris continued to extend his advantage over Verstappen to eight and a half seconds. Piastri, with the freshest rubber of them all, closed in on the back of Russell and sailed past the Mercedes around the outside of Turn 1 on lap 40.

Meanwhile, a substandard pitstop earlier on by Perez had made him fall into the clutches of Sainz in a developing battle for sixth position. The Spaniard tried to hold his car around the outside of the first corner, but was pushed out of road by the Mexican with both drivers holding station for the time being. Sainz eventually replicated Piastri’s move on Russell earlier a few laps later, around the outside of Tarzanbocht to claim P6.

DRS became available to Piastri on lap 46 behind Leclerc, although the McLaren driver was seemingly struggling to find a way past the Monegasque racer. Hamilton, who made a second pitstop onto a set of Softs, set the fastest lap of the race for an extra point should he remain in the top ten places.

Russell decided to copy his teammate’s strategy by pitting for a second time as Sainz bared down on him on lap 55. Although the former fell behind both Sainz and Perez, he hoped to close back in on the pair in the closing stages of the race.

Final laps

Norris was sitting comfortably in the lead, further opening up his lead over Verstappen to 15 seconds with the same number of lap to go.

After a short break, Piastri renewed his attack on Leclerc for the final step on the podium. A little further back, Gasly passed Hulkenberg at Turn 1 on lap 60 to claim P9. Hulkenberg, on 40+ lap-old Hard tyres, continued to fall down the running order as Alonso eased past the Haas a handful of laps later.

In the end it was a dominant race, a dominant weekend in fact for Norris, who completely outclassed Verstappen on home turf to win the Dutch Grand Prix. The McLaren star even managed to secure on extra point with the fastest lap on the final lap. Verstappen ultimately saw the chequered flag over twenty seconds down, while Leclerc held on for an impressive podium finish.

Final race classification

Feature Image Credit: @F1 on X

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