Lando Norris may have taken the victory, Kimi Antonelli may have strengthened his grip on the World Championship and George Russell may have completed another Mercedes double podium — but Ferrari left Zandvoort with plenty to talk about.

For Charles Leclerc, fifth place at the chequered flag told only part of the story.

The Monegasque had been one of the most aggressive drivers of an extraordinary Dutch Grand PrixTM, fighting his way into the leading group and spending much of the afternoon threatening the podium. Lewis Hamilton eventually finished one place ahead of him in fourth, giving Ferrari 22 valuable points from Sunday’s race and keeping the Scuderia firmly second in the Constructors’ Championship.

But this was a race that could easily have produced considerably more.

At the front, Norris delivered one of his finest victories, recovering from losing the lead to Antonelli after a red-flag restart and eventually passing the championship leader in the closing stages. The McLaren driver crossed the line 11.536 seconds ahead of Antonelli, with Russell third, Hamilton fourth and Leclerc just half a second behind his Ferrari teammate in fifth.

And all of it came on an afternoon when Zandvoort seemed determined to make its final Formula 1 Grand PrixTM memorable.

Verstappen’s Homecoming Ends In The Wall

The drama began almost immediately. Norris started from pole ahead of Russell and Antonelli, while Hamilton and Leclerc occupied fifth and sixth on the grid. Leclerc wasted no time. As Norris held the lead at the start and Antonelli jumped Russell for second, Leclerc gained two positions to move into fourth, immediately putting himself into contention at the sharp end of the race. Then the orange grandstands fell suddenly quiet. On the second lap, Max Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull and crashed heavily, bringing out the red flag. The Dutchman was unhurt, but his final home Grand PrixTM was over almost before it had begun. The interruption transformed the race.

At the standing restart, Antonelli produced a superb launch and swept past Norris into the lead. Oscar Piastri also passed Russell, while Leclerc immediately began attacking the Mercedes for fourth. Ferrari was suddenly very much in the fight.

Leclerc Goes On The Attack

If Leclerc had been frustrated after qualifying only sixth, his response on Sunday was emphatic. Once the pit-stop cycle began, the Ferrari came alive. Leclerc chased down Piastri and eventually went around the outside of the McLaren in a bold move to take fourth. Hamilton soon followed his teammate past Piastri, leaving the two Ferraris running fourth and fifth behind Antonelli, Norris and Russell. For a time, a Ferrari podium looked entirely possible.

Leclerc began closing on Russell and applying pressure on the Mercedes, while Hamilton was closing on Leclerc in turn. What had begun as a fight between Ferrari and Mercedes was becoming an uncomfortable internal Ferrari battle as well. Hamilton made his impatience clear over the radio when he found himself behind his teammate, while Leclerc remained focused on attacking Russell ahead.

Ferrari eventually called Leclerc in on lap 44 after he had initially stayed out for another lap. A relatively slow stop cost further time, and Hamilton’s frustration was audible. The episode mattered because the margins at the end were tiny. Russell eventually finished third. Hamilton was only 0.849 seconds behind him. Leclerc was another 0.503 seconds back.

Three cars, representing Ferrari and Mercedes, crossed the line separated by barely 1.4 seconds.

Norris Picks His Moment

While Ferrari and Mercedes were fighting behind, Norris was patiently preparing his attack at the front. Antonelli had driven superbly after taking the lead at the restart, but Norris refused to let the Mercedes escape. By lap 40 the McLaren was back within a second. Strategy briefly reshuffled the order and Hamilton even found himself leading the Grand PrixTM while delaying his stop, but the decisive moment arrived on lap 54. Norris attacked Antonelli around the outside of Turn 1 and made the move stick. He then cleared Hamilton, who had yet to complete the same strategic sequence, and reclaimed the effective lead of the race.

A late Virtual Safety Car gave Antonelli fresh soft tyres and one last opportunity. Mercedes ordered Russell to allow the championship leader through into second, but Norris was already too far ahead. The McLaren disappeared towards the chequered flag. Norris won in 2:04:44.859, Antonelli finished 11.536 seconds behind and Russell completed the podium at 15.906 seconds. Hamilton was fourth at 16.755 seconds and Leclerc fifth at 17.258. It was Norris’s second consecutive Grand PrixTM victory after Hungary — and another indication that McLaren is becoming increasingly dangerous as the season enters its second half.

A Mixed Weekend For Leclerc

Fifth place was nevertheless a slightly deceptive conclusion to Leclerc’s weekend. On Saturday morning he had produced one of Ferrari’s highlights of the weekend by finishing second in the Sprint. Russell won from pole, but Leclerc made his soft tyres last and swept past Norris on lap 18 to take second place. Norris finished third, with Antonelli fourth, while Hamilton could manage only seventh. The Grand PrixTM itself was more frustrating. Leclerc believed qualifying had ultimately cost him the chance to fight for victory. Starting sixth left him with too much work to do around a circuit where overtaking remains difficult, even though he twice demonstrated that it was certainly not impossible. Hamilton, meanwhile, enjoyed one of his stronger recent weekends in the Ferrari. After qualifying fifth, he raced aggressively, briefly led during the pit-stop sequence and finished close enough to Russell to threaten the final podium position in the closing laps. For Ferrari, fourth and fifth represented a substantial points haul. For two drivers who had spent much of the afternoon looking capable of reaching the podium, it also felt like an opportunity that had slipped away.

Antonelli Tightens His Grip

The bigger picture is becoming increasingly fascinating.

Antonelli arrived at Zandvoort leading the Drivers’ Championship and leaves with his advantage increased to 59 points.

The Italian now has 242 points.

Behind him, Russell and Hamilton are tied on 183, with Russell officially second because he has two Grand PrixTM victories this season compared with Hamilton’s one.

Norris’s late-season charge has suddenly brought him into the conversation. His victory takes him to 159 points, moving him ahead of Leclerc, who has 155.

The leading positions are therefore:

1. Kimi Antonelli — 242 points

2. George Russell — 183

3. Lewis Hamilton — 183

4. Lando Norris — 159

5. Charles Leclerc — 155

6. Max Verstappen — 112

7. Oscar Piastri — 104

Antonelli remains firmly in control, but behind him the championship is becoming exceptionally compressed.

Only 28 points separate Russell and Hamilton in joint second from Leclerc in fifth.

And Norris, having won the last two Grands PrixTM, is now only four points ahead of Leclerc and 24 behind Hamilton and Russell.

Ferrari Still Chasing Mercedes

The Constructors’ Championship presents Ferrari with a different challenge.

Mercedes continues to lead comfortably with 425 points, helped enormously by having both Antonelli and Russell consistently at the front.

Ferrari remains second on 338, an 87-point deficit.

McLaren is third with 263, followed by Red Bull on 186.

So while Ferrari still has a substantial gap to close, the Scuderia is far from out of contention.

Constructors’ Championship

1. Mercedes — 425 points

2. Ferrari — 338

3. McLaren — 263

4. Red Bull — 186

5. Racing Bulls — 66

6. Alpine — 63

Ferrari actually leaves Zandvoort with one encouraging statistic: Hamilton and Leclerc together scored 22 points in the Grand PrixTM, keeping the team comfortably clear of McLaren in second place.

But Mercedes scored 33 through Antonelli and Russell and therefore increased its championship advantage.

That is the problem Ferrari must solve.

The SF-26 is quick enough to put both cars into the fight. Leclerc has repeatedly shown that he can attack the Mercedes, while Hamilton is now level with Russell for second in the Drivers’ Championship.

What Ferrari needs is to convert that speed into weekends where both cars finish ahead of the Silver Arrows.

Goodbye Zandvoort — Next Stop Monza

There was an added poignancy to Sunday’s spectacle.

This was the final scheduled Dutch Grand PrixTM at Zandvoort, bringing to an end the circuit’s modern Formula 1 chapter that began with its return in 2021.

It finished in fitting fashion: a home hero crashing out, a red flag, changing strategies, Ferrari attacking Mercedes, team orders, late Virtual Safety Cars and Norris fighting his way back to victory.

Now Formula 1 heads somewhere rather different.

The next Grand Prix is at Monza on 4 to 6 September.

And for Ferrari, there could hardly be a more important destination.

Leclerc leaves the Netherlands fifth in the championship but only 28 points from second place. Hamilton arrives in Italy tied for second. Ferrari remains Mercedes’ closest challenger in the Constructors’ standings.

After the dunes and banking of Zandvoort comes the tifosi, the red smoke and the fastest circuit on the calendar.

For Ferrari, the chase continues — and next time it continues at home.

The post

HelloMonaco

Message History

Delivery option(s)