Giles Richards’ report has landed, so that means this live blog will conclude. It’s been a pretty entertaining weekend in Zandvoort. A nightmare one for Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, of course, but a dream one for Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar. Max Verstappen will take second in front of his home supporters.
As always, a massive thanks for reading and emailing in. Until next time!
Updated constructors’ standings
McLaren – 584 pts
Ferrari – 260
Mercedes – 248
Red Bull – 214
Williams – 80
Aston Martin – 62
Racing Bulls – 60
Sauber – 51
Haas – 44
Alpine – 20
Updated drivers world championship standings
Piastri – 309 pts
Norris – 275
Verstappen – 205
Russell – 184
Leclerc – 151
Hamilton – 109
Antonelli – 64
Albon – 64
Hulkenberg – 37
Hadjar – 37
Stroll – 32
Alonso – 30
Ocon – 28
Gasly – 20
Lawson – 20
Bearman – 16
Sainz – 16
Bortoleto – 14
Tsunoda – 12
Updated
We don’t share too much from Twitter X anymore, but these Hadjar scenes were special.
Total joy in parc ferme for Isack and @visacashapprb 😍#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/1KAhcfvctg
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 31, 2025
Piastri speaks…
“It’s a pretty hard act to follow Isack… but it feels good. I felt like I was in control of that one. Very happy with the work we’ve done and very satisfied to come out on top. This weekend was looking like a difficult one but managed to get it together in qualifying and kept it together today. It wasn’t just myself who improved [from last year] it was a big effort from the team.”
Isack Hadjar is over the moon.
“It feels a bit unreal,” he says. “What was surprising for me was keeping that fourth place throughout the race. The real was unreal the whole weekend and I maximised what I had, made no mistakes. [The podium] was always the target since I was a kid. Hopefully many more.”
Verstappen chats after the race, he seems fairly happy.
“It wasn’t easy, I gave it everything. Unfortunately we didn’t have the pace of the McLarens but we got a bit lucky with one retiring. Being second is a really good achievement for us.”
Isack Hadjar is getting absolutely mobbed by the Racing Bulls backroom staff. He’s ecstatic with his podium finish – as well he might be! A great moment for a rookie driver. What an incredible drive.
Piastri accepts the acclaim of the Dutch fans. It’s a very good weekend to be wearing orange, whether you’re a Dutch supporter of Max Verstappen or connected with McLaren – with the notable exception of Lando Norris and his supporters.
Updated
Dutch GP final standings
Oscar Piastri
Max Verstappen
Isack Hadjar
George Russell
Alex Albon
Ollie Bearman
Lance Stroll
Fernando Alonso
Yuki Tsunoda
Esteban Ocon
Franco Colapinto
Liam Lawson
Carlos Sainz
Nico Hulkenberg
Gabriel Bortoleto
Kimi Antonelli
Pierre Gasly
DNF: Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Oscar Piastri wins the Dutch grand prix
He began on pole and went unchallenged throughout to take a massive victory in the context of this year’s World Championship. With Lando Norris returning no points after retiring, it’s a massive moment in the title race. Advantage Piastri.
Max Verstappen comes in second in his home race, with Isack Hadjar third – a first ever podium for the young Racing Bulls driver.
We’ll run through the final standings in the next post…
Into the last lap! Piastri is looking very secure, surely set for a seventh GP triumph of the season.
Lap 69/72: This is it. Piastri powers away in first, desperately trying to escape Verstappen’s clutches.
Can Russell chase down Hadjar and finish third? There’s a lot to happen but not much time left in which it can happen.
Will we finish this race in safety car conditions, or will we get a lap or two of racing?
Lap 68/72: The safety car is still out but when we resume racing Piastri will be challenged by Verstappen, with Hadjar sensing an amazing chance to finish on the podium.
Lando Norris sits in the sand dunes on the radio to his team looking completely dejected. He gets a good ovation from the crowd as he trudges back. Norris will likely trail Piastri by 34 points at the end of this race, which isn’t unusable but is a big margin to overhaul.
So it’s a third DNF of the race and a third appearance for the safety car. Norris wasn’t in line to win the race but he would likely have snatched second, so that’s a good deal of points he’s missing out on. A boost for Piastri, although not one for McLaren.
Updated
Lando Norris retires
Lando Norris has been forced to retire. The red brake lights are on and he cannot continue. It’s a shake of the head for the Brit in the cockpit. Something went massively wrong for him and his race is done.
Well, well, well.
Why on earth did the McLarens go to hard tyres with about 15 laps left? Aren’t they sitting ducks for Verstappen now?
That’s an email from Beau Dure.
Maybe not given Verstappen seems to have an issue of his own … although Norris has just said he smells something funny and could have an engine problem!
Lap 64/72: Pierre Gasly is tumbling down the field and, on those older tyres, has been surpassed by a speedy Ollie Bearman. The young Haas driver began this race in the pit lane but is currently P8 and in the points, and could finish even higher.
Max Verstappen isn’t happy on the Red Bull radio. He seems to think the car is running out of steam. Can he cling onto a spot on the podium?
Lap 62/72: Into the final 10 laps of this race.
Antonelli has indeed been given another five-second penalty. It never rains, but it pours…
Lap 59/72: Tsunoda speeds beyond Bortoleto to sit P11. Pierre Gasly is P8 and under severe pressure from Alonso.
And Antonelli, nominally seventh, is under another investigation, this time for speeding in the pit lane.
Lap 58/72: Piastri has enough speed to get away at the front again, with Verstappen chasing Norris – again with good pace – in the race for second. Hadjar is still fourth, Russell fifth and down the grid, Bearman and Alonso are making strides up the field.
Back racing. Sainz has served his 10-second penalty and is now P18 at the back of the pack. Anontelli hasn’t yet served his.
Lap 57/72: We’re still roaming round in a holding pattern. How many laps of racing will we have left in Zandvoort?
The answer is… around 14. It’s about to end.
Antonelli has been handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision. Which is fair and difficult to argue with.
Lap 55/72: A double DNF for Ferrari is the upshot, anyway, although Antonelli may face an investigation. He seemed like he understeered a little, not leaving enough room for Leclerc to stay on the track.
Safety car out after Leclerc crashes
A second Ferrari has crashed out of this race, an absolute disaster for the The Prancing Horse. But while Hamilton’s crash was of his own making, a replay could reveal that Leclerc’s exit from the race was actually down to Kimi Antonelli. The two were battling hard, but Leclerc says it was “unnecessary” from the Mercedes.
Inevitably, everyone is going into the pit lane.
Now Leclerc hits the pit lane and comes out just in front of Antonelli… oh no that’s another big crash for a Ferrari! He’s spun out of control and is done.
Goodness me.
Updated
Lap 52/72: Fernando Alonso is trying to charge through the field, on fairly fresh tyres. He’s zipped swiftly past Hulkenberg.
Antonelli has gone in for fresh tyres, so will fancy his chances of catching Alex Albon.
Lewis Hamilton reflects on his early exit from the race. Speaking to Sky Sports, he says: “As I went on the bank, the rear snapped out and I couldn’t recover. The car was a bit twitchy but I think we made real progress this weekend, my pace was good and I was catching George. It feels very unusual to not finish a race and to go out so early.”
Lap 48/72: Oh, Lando. Piastri has pushed back and the lead is back at 1.5 seconds. I don’t see how on earth the Brit can get close enough to execute his move here.
“Who gets a penalty? Me? Are you joking? This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in my life!”
That’s Carlos Sainz’s baffled reaction to being given a 10-second penalty, which he will serve in the pit lane. That’s due to his clash with Liam Lawson earlier on.
Lap 45/72: 1.2 seconds. Lando is really pushing!
Norris has now closed the gap to around 1.4 seconds. It’s not closing fast enough from his perspective. Piastri still sitting pretty.
Lap 42/72: George Russell has been told to let teammate Kimi Antonelli past him, due to the damage sustained by the Briton’s Mercedes. Russell complied but didn’t sound too thrilled with it.
Lap 40/72: There’s been some chat about some of these teams/drivers using a one-stop policy today, but there’s a lot of racing left to do. Verstappen is on medium tyres so I can’t see him going the whole way.
Lap 39/72: At the front of the race, Piastri has re-established that comfortable lead he built before the safety car(s) came out. Norris is pushing damn hard but the gap is at least 1.5 seconds, albeit closing a little.
Inevitably, race control are looking into that Russell-Leclerc skirmish.
Neither were happy about the behaviour of their rival. Who was in the wrong?
Lap 35/72: Leclerc, undeterred, sets his sights on Hadjar next. Let’s see if he gets a penalty.
“He was fully off the track, surely?” asks Russell on the radio, referring to that move by Leclerc to overtake him. The replay suggests Russell may be right.
One for the stewards, that …
Lap 33/72: We keep saying Hadjar could come under some pressure… yet he remains P4 having held off all and sundry so far.
A great job by the marshal, appropriately decked out in an orange fluorescent jacket, to remove the debris.
And wow… as we get racing again, Leclerc goes wheel to wheel with Russell. The Ferrari man wins the initial battle but back comes Russell to try and win back fifth spot. Great stuff to watch.
Lap 31/72: There’s some debris on the track so we’ve got a virtual safety car now. We’ve had a bit of everything in the first half of this race.
Apparently that’s Hamilton’s first ever DNF in Ferrari red. A major shame for the Briton.
Lap 29/72: There was a slight knock between Sainz and Lawson after that restart. “He’s so stupid, it’s always the same guy,” said the Williams driver, presumably referring to Lawson.
Both had to pit after sustaining a bit of damage.
As they race again, Russell, who has leapt into fifth, is now targeting fourth as he sits on Hadjar’s tail. The other Mercedes, Antonelli, has also jumped up. He’s now P8.
Lap 27/72: We’re racing again!
Norris has just had a bit of a contretemps with his team. The front jack wasn’t pulled away quick enough by the McLaren engineers when he pitted… and he was also unhappy they hadn’t communicated about the slippy paint which seemed to be at fault for Hamilton’s crash.
Lap 25/72: We’re now in a holding pattern, so Piastri’s healthy lead has been reduced. The Australian will hope it won’t be too long before they’re all racing again.
Safety car out after Hamilton crashes
The safety car will come out now to deal with that incident, with Lewis Hamilton stricken. He just went too wide and sustained some major damage. Thankfully he’s OK. “Sorry guys,” he says on the radio.
The two McLarens have gone into the pit lane, the ol’ “double stack” move.
Plenty of other drivers are boxing too.
Updated
Hamilton has hit the barriers! Oh wow, that’s a disaster …
Updated
Lap 23/72: Both the Ferraris have seemed pretty quick today, although Hamilton has told his engineers they’ll have to “undercut these guys… it’s pretty hard to get past”. That’s classic Zandvoort, I’m afraid Lew.
Lap 21/72: Loads of drivers are now heading for the pit stop and most are emerging on harder tyres.
20 laps gone. Here’s how the top 10 currently stand with Stroll and Alonso 19th and 20th respectively having pitted:
Piastri
Norris
Verstappen
Hadjar
Leclerc
Russell
Hamilton
Lawson
Sainz
Albon
We’re expecting most of the drivers and teams to employ a two-stop strategy today. Verstappen, remember is the only one in the current top 10 on softer tyres so will probably have to box earlier.
The rain has been much discussed but it’s hardly lashing down. Most Brits would call this a normal summer’s day.
Lap 17/72: Piastri’s lead at the front is sitting at a comfortable three seconds. He’ll be delighted with that, although with conditions changing it’s not signed and sealed just yet.
Lap 15/72: Kimi Antonelli has been enjoying the benefit of DRS and is using it to apply serious pressure to Yuki Tsunoda. And yet there’s still no way past the Red Bull, in that battle for 11th place.
Lap 13/72: Ollie Bearman says “he’s a bit scared” about Bortoleto’s front wing. Somebody tell race control! Fair enough, really.
Lap 12/72: Leclerc cannot wrestle his way past Hadjar… yet. Feels like a matter of time that one. The Ferrari has been quicker so far.
The Haas drivers are on harder tyres and Lance Stroll has dipped into the pit lane to get some hard tyres on too. An interesting decision with rain in the air …
Lap 9/72: Brilliant from Norris! He executes a fine move to squeeze past Verstappen and he’s got second place back. That’ll make him feel a damn sight better.
“Nice job, let’s go get Oscar,” he chirps on the team radio.
Fair play to Isack Hadjar. He started fourth on the grid, a best ever result for him in qualifying, and has found some speed to hold off the likes of Leclerc and Russell to hang on to P4.
Lap 7/72: Gabriel Bortoleto has a damaged front wing, I think from a slight knock with Lance Stroll, with the Sauber driver now in 19th, only Bearman – who began in the pit lane – behind him.
Looking back at that first corner, Verstappen generated serious pace but almost lost control, going away from the racing line, yet then recovered in incredible style. Norris had pace off the start but couldn’t live with the Red Bull driver and was pushed into third.
Updated
Lap 5/72: There’s already some rain in the Zandvoort air, which could spice things up for sure.
Piastri now boasts a two second lead at the front of this race. There may be 60-odd laps to follow, but it’s hard to see anyone overhauling that deficit.
Lap 3/72: They’re all pretty bunched up in the middle, with Hadjar increasingly under threat from a load of cars who sense he doesn’t have too much speed.
One man who does have speed is Verstappen. He’s already a second and a half ahead of the man he overtook, Norris.
Lap 2/72: Fernando Alonso has dropped a few places and Hadjar is already under pressure, with Russell and Leclerc chasing down the Racing Bull.
The Williams cars of Sainz and Albon are in the top 10 as things stand.
First corner
Max Verstappen steamed into second place with a rapid start and Piastri was quick enough to see off any threat to his position.
More on the other places in the next post …
Updated
Lights out!
… and away we goooooooo!
Formation lap time. Get some heat into those wheels. Most of the drivers are using medium tyres, with Verstappen one of the few on the softer tyres. Apparently Lewis Hamilton is being investigated for some kind of infringement and will be spoken to after the race.
The Dutch crowd are a sea of red, white and blue, with plenty of orange, as we prepare for lights out.
More than 300,000 fans are packing the stands.
Updated
George Russell is back on his scooter and says “it won’t be straightforward if I don’t get past him at the start” – referring to Isack Hadjar, the Racing Bulls youngster, who qualified in fourth, a place ahead of the Mercedes man.
A spot on the podium has been a regular resting place for Russell this season and could be within reach again.
Xavi Simons, now of Tottenham Hotspur, is being interviewed on the grid. He says he’s been to a few races before. He’s supporting Max Verstappen. Thanks Xavi.
It’s now mad busy on the grid. This part of an F1 race weekend is always a bit strange and annoying, in my humble view. Not long now.
Lando Norris has been chatting to Sky Sports about how on earth he can get past Piastri this afternoon:
“It’s not the easiest track to overtake on but it’s also not impossible, but when you’re so closely matched with your teammate it can also make things trickier.
“We will see and it’s a little bit more limiting to options I could have because it is my teammate, but not impossible. I will see what I can come up with.”
Dutch Grand Prix recent winners:
2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren)
2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Can Verstappen take another victory in his home race, from third place on the grid? It’d be some effort to usurp the McLarens.
Sky Sports are showing a montage of all the great intra-team title battles over the years, given the rivalry between Piastri and Norris right now. From Ayrton Senna v Alain Prost, to Damon Hill v Jacques Villeneuve, to Lewis Hamilton v Fernando Alonso – there have been some crackers down the decades.
Remember Piastri currently holds a nine-point lead over his McLaren teammate going into today’s race. McLaren are home and hosed in the constructors’ championship, leading Ferrari by a whopping 299 points.
Right, around 45 minutes until lights out at Zandvoort.
Lots of last-minute checks and adjustments are going on in the garages, while the grid is inevitably filling up with relevant (and some irrelevant) people.
Our man Giles Richards sat down for a big chinwag with the World Championship leader Oscar Piastri in the Netherlands earlier this weekend.
“I have emotions, I still feel everything that everyone else feels. It’s just that, being blunt, I think a lot of emotions are not that helpful.”
Read the full interview here:
Qualifying standings
Piastri
Norris
Verstappen
Hadjar
Russell
Leclerc
Hamilton
Lawson
Sainz
Alonso
Antonelli
Tsunoda
Bortoleto
Gasly
Albon
Colapinto
Hulkenberg
Ocon
Stroll
With Haas fitting new components to Ollie Bearman’s car, he will start in the pit lane.
Preamble
As Jeremy Corbyn once gleefully said, we’re back and we’re ready to do it all over again. After a near-month-long summer break, a Formula One grand prix is finally back on our screens, with Oscar Piastri on pole for this Dutch GP.
That Piastri qualified just 0.012 seconds ahead of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris was a sore point for the British driver as he spoke to the media yesterday. On a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult – virtually impossible if you believe Norris – he admitted he’d need a spot of magic to overcome Piastri this afternoon.
“It’s going to take some magic, some good strategy or incredible tyre saving or something,” Norris said on how he can win at Zandvoort. On not nabbing pole position, he said: “Just a bummer … but not a lot I can do now. My lap was still pretty good, 0.01secs is such a small margin. It is frustrating mainly because it is a track that is pretty much impossible to overtake on, so a lot of my chances are now gone.”
So will it be a procession for Piastri or can Norris nick something in the Netherlands? We get under way at 2pm (BST), 3pm local time.
