Norris ties Mercedes in a knot at the Dutch GP

McLaren always ends up hitting the mark, even if it’s a bit later than their drivers would like. Last year, the British team sweated blood, sweat, and tears to celebrate a double victory they hadn’t achieved in almost three decades (1998). In that duel between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, the Woking (Great Britain) team gave their all, and all that energy expenditure took a toll on the papaya project the following season. A bad time to show off considering that this season saw the brutal arrival of the new technical regulations that have shaken all of Formula 1. The clash between Norris and Mad Max combined with an on-the-fly correction in the first design of the 2026 car, two factors that explain McLaren’s sluggish start and that of the current world champion, who took half the calendar to win his first Grand Prix (Hungary) and who, since then, has accumulated two consecutive wins. No one corrects and develops cars during the championship like the British structure, which took a bit longer than expected to implement the first major update (Budapest), but when they did, their car started flying at the same pace as the Mercedes, or even faster.

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Norris faced the summer break in the best possible way, from the top step of the Hungaroring podium, and returned to that position after the break, this time in Zandvoort, where it became clear that McLaren is in a position to challenge the star brand’s hegemony that seemed unquestionable just a couple of Grand Prix ago. The victory in the Netherlands leaves the Bristol driver in fifth place, 83 points behind Kimi Antonelli, who remains in his cloud despite having lost a race he had quite controlled until he put hard tires on his car in the last third of the race. The Italian couldn’t hold off Norris but left George Russell (third) and Lewis Hamilton (fourth) behind him, so not too bad for the young Bolognese. Fernando Alonso crossed the line ninth, Aston Martin’s best result this season, while Carlos Sainz finished second to last (16th).

Norris didn’t win by strategy, but by speed. The huge crash that took Max Verstappen, the local hero, out of the race right at the start (second lap) forced a second start in which Antonelli took the lead of the pack, in a move that seemed decisive. However, the strength of the Silver Arrows with the medium tire specification vanished when it was time to switch to the hards, the opposite dynamic to what McLaren and Norris experienced, who grew bigger in the rearview mirror of the championship leader until he got right behind the gearbox of his prototype (lap 54). In an epic overtaking at the end of the straight, Norris dodged Antonelli and half a track further on Hamilton — who still had to pit — to regain the baton and not let it go until the checkered flag. The punch of the MCL 40 has nothing to do with the weakness shown just a couple of months ago, and there’s no better news than that for the fans. Well; that and McLaren’s intention to keep revitalizing the car and not pivot yet towards the 2027 project.

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“Thanks for continuing to develop the car and for bringing so many improvements,” Norris thanked after signing the 13th win of his F1 career. Despite the momentum he has, the gap separating him from the top of the points table is too big to think big. “It sounds boring, but we have to go race by race. Now we have to reset and learn as much as we can, because we have to improve and keep bringing new parts. I’m very satisfied with the work done at the factory and with the possibility of finishing it off myself on track,” emphasized the big winner of the last race to be held in Zandvoort, since it will no longer be on the calendar next year.

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GP Classification

posdriver
1 Lando Norris
2 Kimi Antonelli
3 George Russell
4 L. Hamilton
5 Charles Leclerc
6 Oscar Piastri
7 Liam Lawson
8 N. Hulkenberg
9 F. Alonso
10 Pierre Gasly

posdriver	Team	Time
1 Lando Norris		2h:04:44.859
2 Kimi Antonelli		+11.536
3 George Russell		+15.906
4 L. Hamilton		+16.755
5 Charles Leclerc		+17.258
6 Oscar Piastri		+32.332
7 Liam Lawson		+1:19.915
8 N. Hulkenberg		1 lap
9 F. Alonso		1 lap
10 Pierre Gasly		1 lap

posdriver
1 Lando Norris
2 Kimi Antonelli
3 George Russell
4 L. Hamilton
5 Charles Leclerc
6 Oscar Piastri
7 Liam Lawson
8 N. Hulkenberg
9 F. Alonso
10 Pierre Gasly

posdriver	Team	Points
1 Lando Norris		31
2 Kimi Antonelli		23
3 George Russell		23
4 L. Hamilton		14
5 Charles Leclerc		17
6 Oscar Piastri		12
7 Liam Lawson		6
8 N. Hulkenberg		4
9 F. Alonso		2
10 Pierre Gasly		2

View full classification

World Championship

posdriver
1 Kimi Antonelli
2 George Russell
3 L. Hamilton
4 Lando Norris
5 Charles Leclerc
6 M. Verstappen
7 Oscar Piastri
8 Isack Hadjar
9 Liam Lawson
10 Pierre Gasly

posdriver	Team	Points
1 Kimi Antonelli		242
2 George Russell		183
3 L. Hamilton		183
4 Lando Norris		159
5 Charles Leclerc		155
6 M. Verstappen		112
7 Oscar Piastri		104
8 Isack Hadjar		68
9 Liam Lawson		49
10 Pierre Gasly		44

posteam
1 Mercedes
2 Ferrari
3 McLaren
4 Red Bull
5 RACING BULLS
6 Alpine
7 Haas F1 Team
8 Audi
9 Williams
10 Aston Martin
11 Cadillac

posteam	Team	Points
1 Mercedes		425
2 Ferrari		338
3 McLaren		263
4 Red Bull		186
5 RACING BULLS		66
6 Alpine		63
7 Haas F1 Team		21
8 Audi		16
9 Williams		11
10 Aston Martin		3
11 Cadillac		0

posdriver
1 Kimi Antonelli
2 George Russell
3 L. Hamilton
4 Lando Norris
5 Charles Leclerc
6 M. Verstappen
7 Oscar Piastri
8 Isack Hadjar
9 Liam Lawson
10 Pierre Gasly

posdriver	Team	Points
1 Kimi Antonelli		242
2 George Russell		183
3 L. Hamilton		183
4 Lando Norris		159
5 Charles Leclerc		155
6 M. Verstappen		112
7 Oscar Piastri		104
8 Isack Hadjar		68
9 Liam Lawson		49
10 Pierre Gasly		44

View full classificationView full classification