Norris beats Antonelli to win final Dutch GP

Lando Norris produced a strong strategic drive to beat Kimi Antonelli and win the final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

The McLaren driver recovered from losing the lead to Antonelli after the restart to claim his second consecutive victory and strengthen his position in the Formula 1 title race.

The Dutch GP began dramatically when home favourite Max Verstappen crashed his Red Bull at high speed on a damp track at the end of the opening lap, forcing a red flag.

Verstappen lost control after his inside wheels caught a wet painted line at the final corner, sending his car nose-first into the outside barrier. He escaped unhurt.

Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also spun behind him but remained on the circuit and was able to continue.

After the restart, with the track having dried, Antonelli passed Norris to take the lead.

The Mercedes driver appeared to be in control after Norris and Antonelli made their first pit stops on lap 21 at the Dutch GP, with Lewis Hamilton temporarily leading after delaying his stop.

However, Norris began to close the gap in the second stint and was within two seconds of Antonelli when the Mercedes driver made his second stop on lap 40.

McLaren kept Norris out for another seven laps before bringing him in. He returned to the track just 4.8 seconds behind Antonelli.

The pair then caught Hamilton, who was running on a different strategy.

Norris eventually moved past Antonelli and then overtook Hamilton after the Ferrari driver made an error at Turn 10, allowing the McLaren to take the lead.

A late virtual safety car created further drama, but Norris retained enough of an advantage to secure victory.

George Russell finished third after Mercedes ordered him to allow Antonelli through into second place.

Russell initially resisted the instruction, warning that the decision could cost him a podium finish. He had hoped Antonelli would work with him to keep the Ferraris behind.

A second virtual safety car with two laps remaining gave Russell some breathing room as Hamilton prepared to attack.

The race resumed shortly afterwards, but Russell held on to claim the final podium position ahead of Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Oscar Piastri finished sixth for McLaren, followed by Red Bull’s Liam Lawson and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg.

Despite finishing second, Antonelli maintained his 59-point lead over Russell in the drivers’ championship.

Russell and Hamilton are level on points, with Russell ranked ahead because he has two victories this season compared with Hamilton’s one.

Norris moved to fourth after his second successive win and is now 83 points behind Antonelli.

The result gives the McLaren driver renewed hope of challenging for the championship if his team’s recent form continues.

Fernando Alonso finished ninth to give Aston Martin-Honda its first points since the Monaco Grand Prix.

Starting 18th after a difficult qualifying session, the veteran Spaniard adopted a one-stop strategy and completed a 34-lap opening stint on soft tyres before switching to hard compounds.

Alonso spent the closing stages defending his position from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda, both of whom were on fresher tyres.

He managed his pace to finish just over a second ahead of Gasly, with Tsunoda another 4.7 seconds behind.

The performance also offered encouragement to Aston Martin and Honda after a difficult start to the season.