Lando Norris secured a commanding victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing over 20 seconds ahead of home favorite Max Verstappen, marking his second career Grand Prix win.
The McLaren driver delivered an impressive performance at Zandvoort, denying Verstappen his first win in front of his passionate supporters, known as the “Orange Army.” This victory follows Norris’s earlier success in Miami and reduces Verstappen’s lead in the championship standings to 70 points, with Verstappen finishing in second place.
Despite the enthusiastic cheers from the packed crowd, Verstappen struggled to match the pace of Norris and his recently upgraded McLaren, which is emerging as a serious competitor in the Formula One circuit.
The race’s crucial moment came at the start. Norris experienced a slow getaway, allowing Verstappen to take the lead, cheered on by the fans. However, by the 18th lap, Norris had caught up and overtook Verstappen at turn one, leaving the reigning champion unable to respond and falling further behind.
By lap 40, Norris had built his lead to over 10 seconds, maintaining his advantage to ultimately cross the finish line first. His final margin of victory over Verstappen was 22.896 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claimed third place, narrowly beating Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri in a close contest.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s second driver, Sergio Perez, faced difficulties, finishing in sixth place, causing a slight narrowing in the constructors’ championship standings.
The Formula One series now heads to the iconic Monza circuit in Italy for the next race, round 16 of 24, with mounting pressure on Verstappen as he has not secured a win since June in Barcelona—a significant dry spell for the Dutch driver since 2020, suggesting potential concerns for the Red Bull team.