Five Takeaways: Dutch Grand Prix
- Mia Wallace
- 18 minutes ago
- 8 min read
After a lengthy summer break, Formula One has come charging back for the second half of the 2026 season, adding yet another chapter to this year’s dramatic title fight.
Although it was the drivers’ first race back after the break, the weekend brought both firsts and lasts. With Zandvoort set to leave the F1 calendar after this season, the teams took their final laps around the historic circuit, bringing with them surprise point scorers, a back-to-back race winner and the quick demise of a hometown hero.
Here are DIVEBOMB’s five key takeaways from the penultimate Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris’ back-to-back win raises whispers of defending his title
After a drought from Grand Prix victories at the beginning of the season, Lando Norris has delivered two back-to-back race wins for McLaren. The reigning world champion has been honest all season long about the development of the MCL40, specifically its lack of speed in comparison to the other front runners. Even so, Norris continues to demonstrate that there is promise in McLaren’s challenger, often being able to maximise everything out of the car week in and week out.
This weekend’s victory in Zandvoort came after a podium in the Sprint Race, and a qualifying session that had the Briton lining up in pole position for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Norris showed strong one-lap pace in both weekend qualifying sessions, but after dropping in position during the sprint, it was theorised that the pace of the McLaren across multiple laps was not there. Even after losing the lead to Kimi Antonelli in the race restart, Norris remained persistent, hammering in fastest lap after fastest lap to ultimately remain glued to the back of Mercedes. Once he finally completed the move on Antonelli, it was smooth sailing to the chequered flag for the world champ.
So, what does that say about the rest of McLaren’s season? Even though it has been Norris bringing in the wins, his teammate Oscar Piastri has shown decent pace as well, especially when compared to the beginning of the season.
Murmurs of Norris becoming a threat in the title fight have started to rise, as his form continues to improve as the season progresses. Still, with an 81-point gap between Norris and championship leader Antonelli, it seems that the Papaya driver is choosing to stay humble.
“It sounds boring, but one race at a time,” said Norris when asked about the chances of a title battle. “Not a lot of people say it now, but it’s the truth of it – there’s no point thinking that far ahead.”
So, last year’s world champion isn’t counting on going back-to-back just yet, but he and the team over at McLaren can still celebrate consecutive Grand Prix victories.
Verstappen’s early crash out solidifies disappointing final Dutch Grand Prix
For Max Verstappen, the Dutch Grand Prix is usually a welcome race each year. Zandvoort carries not only a history of wins and shiny hardware for the Dutchman, but a crowd that always promises the warmest of welcomes for the home hero. With this year marking the end of the Dutch Grand Prix’s campaign in F1, many were anticipating a strong close-out performance from Verstappen, reminiscent of the victories he’s gained there before.
Unfortunately, disaster reared its ugly teeth early, and Verstappen’s Red Bull plummeted fatally into the wall during the opening laps of the Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver walked from the on-track debris physically unharmed, but his disappointment was evident. No driver wants to retire from a Grand Prix, but retiring from your home race, let alone the final one, carries an extra sting.
Verstappen’s crash seemed to stem from driver error, combined with underestimated wet conditions on track. None of the drivers had opted to start on intermediate tyres, as it had appeared that it would be a dry start, but Verstappen’s slip combined with a similar moment from Audi’s Gabriel Bortoletto revealed that the conditions were not as previously forecasted.
Putting the race result aside, it's hard to say whether Red Bull had any chance of a podium finish if Verstappen had regained control of the car. The Red Bull lacked pace all weekend long, not managing to provide much in the sprint or either of the weekend’s qualifying sessions. Sure, the team has taken some steps forward in recent times; however, it appears that the development still is not at a level that the team or drivers are completely happy with.
Despite the disappointing result of the opening race after summer break, there is still much to be optimistic about in Red Bull’s future. Earlier last week, Red Bull and Verstappen announced that the Dutchman would be remaining with the team until 2030.
Mercedes sparks controversy over ”risky” team orders
The inner-team battle for the championship title continued to heat up in Zandvoort, as the Mercedes duo were once again served a less-than-ideal strategy situation. On the bright side, it was another double podium result for the team. On the other hand, though, the call prompting the result was one that many are deeming as inherently “risky”, suggesting that Mercedes still is not yet entirely prepared to handle a teammate battle.
The controversial call came at the end of the Grand Prix, after Antonelli had been passed by McLaren’s Norris for the race lead. While Antonelli’s teammate George Russell had enjoyed a strong start to the weekend, winning the sprint race, he struggled in the Grand Prix from start to finish. Between poor battery deployment and an overall lack of pace, the Briton found himself fighting just to finish on the podium, even after starting the Grand Prix from second position. Antonelli, on the other hand, was largely enjoying the race conditions up until the point of the call, as Norris had effectively ended the young driver’s hopes of a win.
After a late pit stop, Antonelli found himself sitting behind the Mercedes of Russell, with the fresher rubber over Russell’s fading hard tyres. Even with the increase in pace, though, Antonelli had little hope of making up the gap to Norris up ahead, a fact noted by Russell, who believed Norris’ win was sealed at that point of the race. The dreaded call came in soon after, with the team requesting a swap of the cars. Russell obliged, leaving him to fight off the quickly advancing Ferraris behind.
Yes, Russell managed to hang on to third place, but many still argue that leaving in the clutches of the Ferraris was a risky move from the team. On his degrading hard tyres, it was highly probable that Lewis Hamilton would pass him from behind. Russell’s defence ended up paying off in the end, but was it really worth compromising a double podium?
Following the race, Antonelli weighed in on the strategy, admitting that he too believed it was a risky call to make. The Italian driver now looks to the next race, his home race in Monza, to continue his championship campaign. With the teenager scheduled to serve a grid penalty, though, Russell will be looking to take advantage of the setback.
Hamilton V. Ferrari: frustrations boil over missed opportunities and strategy
It hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows between Hamilton and Ferrari, though the relationship has certainly improved over time. With the seven-time world champion back in form while repping the colour red, it’s tough to see some of the old frustrations with the team resurfacing.
This past weekend in Zandvoort, it’s fair to say that Hamilton wasn’t having the cleanest of weekends ahead of the Grand Prix. He topped the timing charts a handful of times across sessions, but never held onto the position by the end. On the other side of the garage, Charles Leclerc was enjoying the track a little more, moving up a place during the sprint race, and managing his tyres fairly well across the weekend. Leclerc looked to be overall a bit more settled early, but Hamilton, in true fashion, began to find form as well.
During the Grand Prix, the Briton worked his way up to podium contention, only to get stuck behind his teammate late in the race. On the fresher rubber and preferential tyre, Hamilton was quick to voice over the radio that he was much quicker than Leclerc, who was ahead but posting slower times than his teammate. When asked to pit, Leclerc refused, leaving Hamilton’s request to swap cars to be delayed an additional lap.
Hamilton’s frustration over the late swap was evident over the radio, where he emphasised how much valuable time had been lost during the squabble. Following the missed opportunity, Hamilton’s race was further compromised when Ferrari decided to delay his additional pit stop, leaving him battling at the front with Norris and Antonelli for much longer than he would’ve liked.
Ultimately, Hamilton finished in fourth position, close to surpassing Russell for the podium, but unable to make the late move. Again, Hamilton reminded the team of the lost opportunity, even going as far as asking if they were using him as a “guinea pig”.
Precious points for the veterans suggest promising technical developments
Looking away from the frontrunners, things continue to heat up in the midfield battle. Look even farther from there, and you can see large strides being made for some of the teams that have struggled to score any points throughout the rounds.
Starting towards the back of the field, Aston Martin has plenty to celebrate after Fernando Alonso secured his second points-scoring finish of the season. The team has struggled with a surplus of issues throughout the year, with the most significant being the car’s chassis. It’s a particularly detrimental problem to have, as we’ve seen throughout the season, with both Aston drivers typically finding themselves finishing in the bottom four.
In Zandvoort, however, the team made a sizable step forward as Alonso converted a difficult Grand Prix into a points finish.
"Yeah, I'm very happy. Happy for the team, as I think they nailed all the decisions today," Alonso said. "You know, the strategy was the right one, the starting tyre was the right one."
Elsewhere on the grid, another team enjoyed the racing conditions in Zandvoort. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg had his highest points finish of the season so far, crossing the line in ninth place. The ever-growing consistency of the Audi challenger brings optimism to a project that is only in its first year of F1.
“It feels really good to come away with points today”, said Hulkenberg after the race. “They are important for us in the championship and give everyone in the team a lift, while also confirming that the work we are putting in is taking us in the right direction. “
Sunday’s results confirm that not only are the top teams finding advancements in the new regulatory era, but also some of the other teams who have struggled in years prior. As we enter the second half of the season, those developments will be crucial in deciding the constructors’ championship standings.
Looking Ahead
With the Dutch Grand Prix now officially in the rearview mirror, the focus shifts to the remaining races of the 2026 season. With Norris’ increase in form and team battles raging, the title fight appears to be far from settled. If Zandvoort’s events were any indication, the final stretch of the season is bound to bring even more surprises.
Edited by Morgan Holiday
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