McLaren’s Norris storms to back-to-back race wins

Norris crossed the line 11.54 seconds ahead of Antonelli in second place

Last updated:
Jaydip Sengupta, Pages Editor
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain makes a pit stop during the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands.
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain makes a pit stop during the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort , Netherlands.
AP

Formula One world champion Lando Norris stormed to victory in a thrilling Dutch Grand Prix Sunday, sealing back-to-back wins in a race marred by a huge crash for local hero Max Verstappen.

The British driver started on pole and managed to come out on top of a sensational three-way battle with current title leader Kimi Antonelli and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

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Norris crossed the line 11.54 seconds ahead of Antonelli in second place and claimed a memorable hat-trick for McLaren at the Dutch Grand Prix after wins for teammate Oscar Piastri last year and the Briton himself the year before.

"Let's keep pushing," said the delighted 26-year-old, who had cut a downbeat figure after finishing third in the sprint race on Saturday, complaining his McLaren lacked pace.

Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell completed the podium after holding off a determined challenge from Hamilton in the closing stages of the race.

Earlier, home favourite Verstappen suffered a huge crash on the first lap, spinning his Red Bull into the barriers and forcing a stop to the race.

The four-time world champion walked free from the accident, telling his team: "I'm OK" on the radio.

Starting from seventh on the grid, Verstappen lost control of his car on a corner, smashed into the wall and careered across the track, with Alpine's Pierre Gasly having to take evasive action.

Verstappen won the first three editions of the Dutch Grand Prix when it returned to the circuit in 2021 but has seen McLarens beat him in 2024 and 2025.

His crash was a huge disappointment to the "orange army", the hordes of Dutch fans who pack out the stadium at Zandvoort.

The Dutch GP is being run for the last time this year after promoters pulled the plug for financial reasons.

Jaydip Sengupta
Jaydip SenguptaPages Editor
Jaydip is a Pages Editor at Gulf News and has sports running in his veins. While specializing in Tennis and Formula 1, he also makes sure to stay on top of cricket, football, golf, athletics and anything related to sports in general. Known for his ability to dig out exclusive stories and land interviews with the biggest names in sports, Jaydip has built up a remarkable portfolio in almost 25 years of journalism, with one-on-one interviews of Michael Schumacher, Roger Federer, Usain Bolt and Tiger Woods, just to name a few. Besides sports, Jaydip also has a keen interest in films and geopolitics.

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