McLaren cut Red Bull’s lead in the Constructor Standings to 30 points with the win. Italian GP is up next.
ZANDVOORT, The Netherlands—Winning Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix from pole position, Lando Norris ruined the orange army’s party by taking McLaren to his second victory of the year with a comfortable 20-second win over Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished in third.
For the fourth time this season, a record in this sport, all 20 drivers finished the race with no safety cars or yellow flags.
Lando Norris: “It feels amazing! “I wouldn’t say (it was) a perfect race because of lap one again, but afterward, it was beautiful. The pace was very strong, (and) the car was unbelievable today. Honestly, it was quite a straightforward race. It was still tough but very enjoyable.
Norris had troubles at the start of the race with wheelspin, which gave Verstappen an early lead. But the home hero encountered a lack of grip, which allowed Norris to pass his rival on lap 18. From there, the first round of pit stops occurred, and Norris regained the lead for good on lap 33, increasing his lead for the remainder of the race.
Leclerc battled McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for the last podium position in a close match-up, but Piastri could settle no better than fourth. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz moved up the grid at the start and ended up in fifth, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finishing in sixth. The Mercedes of Geroge Russell and Lewis Hamilton were next, taking seventh and eighth, with Pierre Gasly running a solid race in his Alpine, finishing in ninth. Fernando Alonso, in his Aston Martin, passed Haas Nico Hulkenberg for the final point position in tenth.
Despite their driver not winning the race, the Dutch fans respected the actual winner, which Norris found satisfying. “We have so many fans here, and I have a lot of Dutch fans and support. I thank you very much, and I’m sure some are a little upset, but I hope it was a good race, and I greatly appreciate it.”
It will not take long for this battle for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships to continue, as next week, Formula One will take on the quickest circuit in the sport at the Autodromo di Monza in Italy on the first of September.
