Norris and McLaren are nonetheless alive and properly
Lando Norris is the final one who wants a reminder of what can occur within the second half of the championship. On the scene of his worst heartbreak in 2025, when Norris’ championship regarded useless and buried after a retirement, the defending champion is now the hunter as soon as extra after utilizing an upgraded McLaren to start out chipping away on the lead of Kimi Antonelli.
Norris backed up a primary win of the marketing campaign in Hungary with pole within the Netherlands, although McLaren’s comparatively poor long term tempo within the dash dampened expectations within the grand prix correct.
In a chaotic opening part, Norris misplaced his result in Antonelli on lap 2’s standing restart. However on mushy tyres, the Briton stayed inside putting distance and regarded imperious as soon as the frontrunners switched to the laborious compound.
On lap 54 of 72 Norris swept across the outdoors of a defending Antonelli into Flip 1, earlier than dispatching Lewis Hamilton – who had but to cease – on the again straight to take the lead of the race, which he would comfortably retain till the end.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Norris’ second consecutive win introduced his hole to Antonelli down from 90 to 83 factors, which continues to be an enormous margin. However few will argue the 26-year-old has hit a wealthy vein of type, whereas McLaren’s rolling automobile improvement has turned its MCL40 into a possible serial winner. When will Mercedes have the ability to reply with its personal improve bundle?
– Filip Cleeren
Lawson made probably the most of his sudden Crimson Bull return
We will’t know for sure, however it might hardly be stunning if Liam Lawson had hoped that, after being instructed he would lose his Crimson Bull seat following final 12 months’s Chinese language Grand Prix, simply two races into the season, life would possibly in the future give him one other likelihood to measure himself in opposition to Max Verstappen as his team-mate.
Virtually a 12 months and a half later, and having rebuilt his status with a robust return to Racing Bulls, that likelihood arrived when Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist harm, and Lawson grabbed it with each arms.
He took issues steadily on Friday, however got here alive on Saturday with a wonderful qualifying efficiency — given the fact of Crimson Bull’s 2026 automobile — to take eighth, simply behind Verstappen and solely 0.115s away. Sure, Zandvoort is a comparatively quick lap, however Hadjar had solely been inside that margin of the Dutchman on three events this 12 months, throughout the 12 instances he was outqualified by Verstappen.
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson, Crimson Bull Racing
Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Verstappen’s crash shortly after the beginning left Lawson main Crimson Bull’s effort. Whereas he couldn’t match the tempo of the highest six, the New Zealander delivered a stable race to complete a lonely seventh.
It received’t earn him a everlasting return to Crimson Bull, and his Racing Bulls future for 2027 stays unsure. However Lawson made probably the most of his surprising second likelihood — and could have put himself again on the radar of different groups.
– Federico Faturos
Yuki Tsunoda narrowly misses high 10 on surprising F1 return
Going up in opposition to Verstappen once more at Crimson Bull was a tall order for Lawson, however Yuki Tsunoda confronted an excellent more durable problem.
Standing in for Lawson at Racing Bulls, the reserve driver had by no means pushed 2026-spec System 1 equipment, which is dramatically totally different from final 12 months’s in each space – notably the novel vitality administration necessities.
Tsunoda unsurprisingly lagged behind spectacular rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad by over eight tenths within the weekend’s sole free follow session however steadily decreased his deficit to about 4 tenths in dash qualifying and one hundredth to at least one tenth in the primary qualifying session.
Yuki Tsunoda, Racing Bulls
Picture by: Alastair Staley / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
The Japanese racer then carried out a convincing drive from twelfth on the grid. He seemingly didn’t put a foot incorrect, even with two standing begins to deal with, and carried out a wide ranging transfer on Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on his solution to eleventh place beneath the chequered flag.
Lindblad getting a drive-through penalty early on for a yellow-flag infringement makes the comparability tough, however Tsunoda nonetheless did properly, and it might be attention-grabbing to see what he makes of a possible second outing if Hadjar’s restoration occurs to be slower than deliberate.
– Ben Vinel
No fairytale Dutch GP ending after Verstappen crash
There was as soon as a time the place victory on the Dutch Grand Prix for Verstappen appeared as assured as a victory could be for a Premier League aspect in opposition to one from the fourth division. The Crimson Bull driver received three on the bounce at his dwelling race from 2021 to 2023 and through that interval of Verstappen dominance, there was nothing stopping him.
However then got here McLaren, who respectively ended that streak in 2024 and 2025 by way of Norris and Oscar Piastri, but 2026 supplied one ultimate alternative for Verstappen to as soon as once more style dwelling success as Zandvoort is ready to drop off the F1 calendar.
Crashed automobile of Crimson Bull Racing’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen
Picture by: Anni Graf – System 1 by way of Getty Pictures
But the fairytale ending wasn’t to be, as Verstappen crashed on the opening lap in entrance of the ‘Orange Military’. The four-time world champion was by no means actually in competition anyway, as he completed sixth within the dash race and began Sunday’s grand prix in seventh.
He reckons the circuit uncovered the weaknesses of the RB22, which endured stability issues on the seaside venue. Not what he would have hoped for given, a, it was his dwelling race and likewise, b, it being the weekend he has signed a brand new contract.
Verstappen now has 11 extra possibilities to cease 2026 from being his first winless season since becoming a member of Crimson Bull in 2016.
– Ed Hardy
Honda’s new engine will not be sufficient to spark Aston Martin’s revival
After Aston Martin’s main automobile improve in Hungary simply earlier than the summer time break, the Silverstone-based crew had hoped Honda’s new energy unit would ship as large a step ahead because the chassis appeared to have made. Nevertheless, it quickly grew to become clear that Honda’s up to date energy unit, developed with the assistance of the ADUO after beginning 2026 with the worst engine, was not a significant enchancment, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll each eradicated within the first stage of the dash shootout and qualifying.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Picture by: Alastair Staley / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
The drivers and Adrian Newey have been fast to level to the chassis enhancements on Saturday, whereas admitting that extra progress was nonetheless wanted on the ability unit aspect. Stroll was notably candid, saying outright that the crew was missing plenty of energy, whereas Honda itself admitted there was nonetheless extra work to do to offer its drivers the boldness they wanted.
The choice technique and really low tyre degradation allowed Alonso to run within the factors for a lot of the race and, in reality, safe his first top-10 end on the highway this 12 months. Because the Spaniard identified, Aston Martin was beforehand a lot additional away from the entrance, however even with this sturdy consequence and a chassis that seems to have genuinely improved, the engine stays the crew’s weak level and, for now, doesn’t look able to enabling a significant comeback for the inexperienced outfit.
– Jose Carlos de Celis
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