Norris wins incident-packed Dutch Grand Prix as Russell loses ground again

Frustrated George Russell fails to make up ground as Lando Norris wins incident-packed Dutch GP Jump to content

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Frustrated Russell fails to make up ground as Norris wins incident-packed Dutch GP

Last updated

23 August 2026 7:48pm BST

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Key moments

Lap 55 of 72 : Norris takes the lead!🟥RED FLAG : Verstappen is in the wall! Out of the race

!Lando Norris

*Lando Norris is now 83 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli

Credit

: Benoit Tessier/Reuters*

Luke Slaterat Zandvoort

Last updated

23 August 2026 7:48pm BST

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Key moments

Lap 55 of 72 : Norris takes the lead!🟥RED FLAG : Verstappen is in the wall! Out of the race

George Russell had another frustrating Sunday as the Dutch Grand Prix weekend slipped by with him failing to reduce his deficit to leader Kimi Antonelli. In a thrilling finale to the 72-lap race at the Dutch seaside, Lando Norris took his second victory in a row with two bold overtakes in one lap.

Yet compatriot Russell was irritated by Mercedes team orders for him to let Antonelli through into second place in the closing stages. It was a decision he believed risked a double podium for the team and threatened to put him even further behind his team-mate in the standings, with two charging Ferraris close behind. It was a race that, once again, fell away, despite Russell doing little wrong.

“Is he \[Antonelli] fighting for the win or is he planning to catch Norris?” he asked, when the McLaren driver was 11 seconds down the road – the margin he would win by. “Yeah – we just lost a double podium here, mate,” was his response after moving aside.

Whilst Norris, who lost his lead from pole to Antonelli on the first lap, sealed the victory with two superb overtakes on lap 54 – first the Italian and then Hamilton – Russell had to mount a stout defence from Hamilton to secure third. It was against the odds, as both Ferraris were on fresh rubber after pitting under the virtual safety car. Like Russell, Hamilton was critical of his team for their strategy choices.

Russell’s first podium finish since Silverstone – with his sprint victory on Saturday – means he at least retakes second place in the championship from Hamilton, but trails Antonelli by the same 59 point-gap he had after Hungary. That is despite him looking the faster and more comfortable Mercedes driver on Friday and Saturday.

!George Russell (right) and Kimi Antonelli

*George Russell (right) remains a considerable way adrift of team-mate Kimi Antonelli

Credit

: Clive Rose/Getty Images*

Russell became engaged during the summer break and claimed a more relaxed approach was helping him find the form he needed after lagging behind Antonelli. That certainly appeared to be the case before Sunday.

When asked by *Telegraph Sport* whether he felt relaxed after a tense and fractious finish, Russell was able to see the bright side. He also said he understood the team’s decision to ask him to yield to Antonelli.

“It’s been a very positive weekend as a whole. Given the fact that we’re nowhere near as dominant as we once were, I think this has been a very solid weekend all in all. You know, I was not on the podium at times when we had the best car,” he said.

“The pace between the two of us \[here] was very similar – that’s a good step forward for me. It’s been a cleaner weekend. I’m not dealing with as many issues as I’ve faced at the end of that first half of the season and it’s just allowed me to focus on the job.”

Russell did, however, warn about the rapid rise of McLaren, whose upgraded car has put them back at the front, and the threat of the Ferraris in the next races, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday September 6.

“I think these coming two or three race weekends will be a challenge for us both purely because we’re out of sync with the upgrades,” Russell added.

Norris, however, does not believe he can defend his title with a similar second-half charge to the one he faced from Max Verstappen in 2025. He is 80 points behind Antonelli and 21 adrift of Russell and Hamilton with a potential 10 rounds remaining. He batted away Antonelli’s suggestion that McLaren were now the team to beat and put part of his success down to his own ability.

“I don’t think it’s true. For once, I will give myself a little bit of credit that I feel like I’m doing a better job than everyone. We certainly have a car that is capable of beating them,” he said. “I worked on my driving, I want to believe, more than anyone else and we turned things around \[from Saturday].”

Hamilton, meanwhile, believed that he could have been in contention but was again angry with his Ferrari team for not asking Leclerc, his team-mate, to let him through despite his pace advantage when battling for second.

“We’re just losing time!” Hamilton barked on the radio as he closed up to his team-mate’s rear wing. Once Ferrari pitted Leclerc, he responded sarcastically. “Great way of wasting time, guys, good job.” His fourth place finish means he loses nine points to Antonelli and second place on countback to Russell in the standings.

> Lewis Hamilton left frustrated with Ferrari for 'wasting time' by not swapping him and Charles Leclerc 😳🔴 pic.twitter.com/1w9A4A0pNS
>
> — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 23, 2026

This was a fitting race with a thrilling finale to end Zandvoort’s six-race stint on the F1 calendar, though home hero Verstappen’s participation ended before he crossed the finish line at the end of the first lap.

Exiting the final corner, still damp from a heavy shower 30 minutes before, he put a tyre onto the white lines on the inside. He lost control of his Red Bull, smashing into one barrier at the top of the track before rolling to a standstill, destroyed, at the bottom of it. The race was stopped for more than 30 minutes.

> Heartbreak for Max Verstappen in Zandvoort 💔 pic.twitter.com/gLTcCEkOXI
>
> — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 23, 2026

As for the championship leader? This was arguably Antonelli’s poorest weekend in recent memory, yet he managed to find a way to finish ahead of Russell for the eighth time in 12 rounds in 2026. That, too, sums up his season. His hopes of a home victory at Monza, though, will be dented by the news that he will take a hefty grid penalty for a power-unit change.

“In theory our calculations say that’s the best track to take it – obviously algorithms do not take nationality into consideration, but we are here to fight for the championship and not get the most PR,” Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team