Lando Norris ended Max Verstappen’s reign at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Since the Zandvoort circuit was reinstated on the calendar in 2021, the Dutch lion has won at home, but this weekend he faced a powerful McLaren that was more than 20 seconds ahead of him.
The reigning Formula One champion had to settle for second place to avoid losing points in the Drivers’ Championship, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the podium. As happened in Spain and Hungary, the Briton again made a mistake at the start and lost his advantage over the three-time champion, complicating his strategy.
Norris’ first on-track opportunity came on lap 18 when the RB20’s tyre performance plummeted and the car turned papaya-coloured.
Sergio Pérez, who seemed to have found confidence with the car, finished in sixth place with 8 points. Checo’s stop on lap 20 was not what was expected, as it took him 4.4 seconds to change tyres, returning to seventh place. The Mexican had more problems when Carlos Sainz Jr. attacked him with the Prancing Horse on lap 47 to take his place due to his lack of performance. The Constructors’ Championship tightened after the result. Red Bull remains at the top with 434 points and McLaren is already hot on their heels with 404 points; in third place is the Maranello team with 370 points. The next match in the current F1 season will be next weekend at the Italian Grand Prix.
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