NFL
By: Courtney Walsh
We got all the drama in the Dutch Grand Prix, as we have come to expect every time the green light goes off for a Formula One race. Lando Norris powered through a red-flagged, rain-affected race to claim back-to-back victories and keep his slim title hopes alive, while Max Verstappen’s last home race on the current Zandvoort contract ended in disaster before it even got going. And that was just the start of race day.
Verstappen, who had the support of a sea of orange fans desperate to see their hero finally win in 2026, crashed out heavily at the end of the opening lap in slippery conditions, bringing out the red flag and instantly ending his weekend. It was a gut-punch finish to what was billed as a bittersweet farewell for F1 at the seaside Dutch circuit. We deserved more as F1 fans, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
Norris took control of a wild strategic battle, holding off a hard-charging Mercedes squad to take the checkered flag. Kimi Antonelli crossed second after his team made a last-second call moving him ahead of teammate George Russell, who settled for third. Lewis Hamilton came home fourth after a late charge at Russell fell just short, with Charles Leclerc rounding out the top five after picking off Oscar Piastri around Zandvoort’s banked Turn 3. Further back, Liam Lawson somehow pulled off an impressive seventh on his return to Red Bull, Nico Hulkenberg added points for Audi in eighth, Fernando Alonso gave Aston Martin’s its best result of the season in ninth, and Pierre Gasly grabbed the final point for Alpine. Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Ollie Bearman were among the retirees alongside Verstappen.
Where the championship stands
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s second-place finish pushes his drivers’ lead to 59 points, his biggest cushion of the season. George Russell hops back into second after Antonelli and Russell pretty much cancelled each other out on points, while Hamilton drops to third, tied with Russell on points but behind on countback. Norris’s win moves him up to fourth, riding the wave of consecutive victories either side of the summer break, with Leclerc and a title-less Verstappen rounding out the top six. On the constructors’ side, Mercedes continues to pad its advantage, though McLaren’s late-season surge with Norris keeps that battle from being fully settled.
What’s next
With 12 of 23 races now complete, the paddock heads straight into the fall stretch of the calendar. Up next is the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 4-6, F1’s lone Italian date this year after Imola dropped off the schedule, followed by Madrid’s debut race on September 13 and a Saturday showdown in Baku on September 26. From there it’s on to Singapore, before the season pivots into its American tripleheader stretch of Austin, Mexico City and São Paulo. With Antonelli holding a strong lead but Russell, Hamilton and Norris all still mathematically alive, the second half of 2026 is shaping up to be a legit title fight down the stretch.
