As expected, the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort ended with a victory for McLaren and Lando Norris.
The big surprise, however, was the performance of Charles Leclerc and Scuderia Ferrari, as the Monegasque practically pulled out of nowhere a performance that earned him a podium finish in a weekend where the red brigade did not seem to be the strongest even in the midfield. At the start, it did not look like it would be Lando Norris' day, as the Briton messed up the start, so local hero Max Verstappen immediately took the lead. George Russell and the aforementioned Leclerc also made improvements, and then Norris came along shortly after and took the lead back. Once he took it back, he quickly started to tear Verstappen away from him, all in a perfectly controlled manner.
Meanwhile, the pit stops were taking place, during which the previously consistently fast Mercedes made a mistake, and Ferrari and Leclerc jumped them. Not only Norris was in the lead, but Oscar Piastri was also fast, who after the bad start continuously closed up the lead, but after a while his momentum ran out. Not so for his teammate, who in an essentially uneventful race - which he did - destroyed the field by setting the fastest lap in front of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. To be continued soon, in Monza.
