Russell leads from start to finish
Zandvoort did not serve up much. George Russell won the Dutch Grand Prix sprint a few hours ago, starting from pole and leading all 24 laps. There were just two position changes in the top 10 all race.
The Mercedes driver had already set the tone in sprint qualifying the day before. A lap of 1:11.567, 41 thousandths ahead of Lando Norris, 55 thousandths clear of Charles Leclerc. Tiny gaps over one lap, but a different story in race trim.
Norris kept the pace early in the sprint. Then the McLaren slipped away. Between laps 9 and 10, the Brit lost more than a second with an unstable rear end. Russell pulled clear and was never threatened again. The rain arrived just after he crossed the line.
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Leclerc lands the only overtaking move
Charles Leclerc took a punt. The Monegasque bolted on soft tyres, matched only by Ollie Bearman, who started 17th. The plan was simple enough: make ground early before the tyres gave up.
Norris was fighting his rear end by the one-third mark. Leclerc went for him on lap 18, diving up the inside at Turn 1, shoulder to shoulder, and forcing his way through. It was the only meaningful pass of the sprint apart from the first lap. Ferrari then managed the wear to keep second place, 1.3 seconds behind Russell.
Kimi Antonelli hounded Norris all the way to the final lap. The Italian showed a move into Turn 1 but could not finish it. He came home fourth, ahead of an Oscar Piastri who was left more than 10 seconds adrift.
Verstappen sixth in front of his own fans
Max Verstappen never really featured at Zandvoort. Dumped more than half a second back in sprint qualifying, the Dutchman finished sixth, 10.5 seconds behind Russell. He spent the race fending off Lewis Hamilton, who closed in late on but never found a way through.
Pierre Gasly snatched the final point in the improved Alpine, eighth ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi. Arvid Lindblad beat Liam Lawson, who is filling in for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull this weekend. Yuki Tsunoda lost a place at the start to Franco Colapinto, making his first launch under the 2026 single-seater procedure. For Russell, these points arrive at just the right time after a tough first half to the season.
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