Formula One Gradebook: Dutch Grand Prix
- Elaina Russell
- 7 hours ago
- 6 min read
Written by Elaina Russell, Edited by Meghana Sree
The Dutch Grand Prix was another pivotal chapter in the 2025 Formula One season.
Against the backdrop of orange smoke and the rollercoaster banking of Zandvoort, Oscar Piastri stretched his championship advantage, Isack Hadjar stunned with a maiden podium, and Ferrari endured yet another crushing blow.
The race carried the bittersweet note of a circuit approaching its final season, but the drama on track ensured Zandvoort will be remembered for more than its atmosphere.
Here’s how all 20 drivers performed on race day:
McLaren
Oscar Piastri - A
Piastri once again proved why he has become the title favourite, clinching his seventh victory of the 2025 campaign. After qualifying on pole with a sharp 1:08.662, he controlled the race with remarkable poise.
Mixed conditions caught others out, but the Australian looked untouchable as he balanced tyre wear, strategy, and pace with the calm of a veteran. He remains the only driver to have scored points at every round this season, underlining the consistency that separates champions from contenders.
Lando Norris - B
Lando Norris had looked ready to duel Piastri from the front row after missing out on pole by just 0.012 seconds.
Early laps were tidy before a cruel chassis failure cut his race short. His blunt post-race assessment – “Nothing I could have done”– captured the frustration of a title contender undone by reliability.
The Briton is still firmly second in the standings, but this retirement was a heavy hit at a time when momentum was critical.
Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton - C-
Lewis Hamilton’s first DNF in Ferrari colours came on a weekend that promised much more. After qualifying seventh, he was running competitively before light rain caught him out, ending his race against the barriers.
Hamilton’s adaptation to the knife-edged Ferrari has been fraught, and while Monza looms as a potential redemption stage – where he holds five victories, tied with Michael Schumacher – this result deepens the narrative of a misfiring campaign.
Charles Leclerc - B-
Qualified sixth, but Sunday proved disastrous for the Monegasque once again. He went wheel-to-wheel with George Russell in a bold early move, only to later be hit by Kimi Antonelli and forced into retirement.
What could have been a points-heavy weekend instead added to Ferrari’s tally of heartbreaks.
Mercedes
George Russell - B+
Russell maximised the chaos to take fourth place, just off the podium. His qualifying pace kept him in the mix, and his measured driving in changing conditions showed his growing maturity.
While he lacked the outright pace to challenge Max Verstappen or Piastri, he kept mistakes to a minimum and banked valuable points for Mercedes.
Kimi Antonelli - C-
Zandvoort highlighted both the promise and pitfalls of Antonelli’s rookie season.
He showed flashes of pace and managed a gritty recovery drive, but mistakes proved costly. A penalty for his clash with Leclerc and a pitlane speeding infringement ruined hopes of a stronger finish. 16th place leaves him with much work to do.
Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen - A
Verstappen wasn’t able to deliver a home win, but second place was still a strong return amid Red Bull’s uncertain season.
He kept calm in front of the partisan Dutch crowd, fending off Russell and Leclerc in the early stages.
“To be in second, I think is a really, really good achievement for us,” he reflected. His value to the team remains beyond question, though speculation swirls around his teammate for 2026.
Yuki Tsunoda - B-
Yuki Tsunoda finally broke his points drought with ninth place, his first since Imola. He battled through throttle issues and poor Safety Car timing to hold on at the flag.
It wasn’t spectacular, but it was gritty, and it may provide a slight boost of confidence heading into the final rounds.
Williams
Alexander Albon - A
Alex Albon’s fifth place was one of the drives of the day. Starting 15th, he kept his head through the chaos and executed strategy to perfection.
Opportunistic overtakes and steady pace brought Williams much-needed points, reminding the paddock of his value in the midfield.
Carlos Sainz - C-
Contact with Liam Lawson left Carlos Sainz nursing damage and ending up 13th, continuing his barren run of results.
The pace wasn’t disastrous, but the lack of points is becoming a theme, and frustration is mounting. Another missed opportunity for a driver who has not scored since Canada.
Kick Sauber
Nico Hülkenberg - C-
Nico Hülkenberg had an anonymous afternoon, running well outside the points and finishing 14th. While he avoided major errors, the Sauber package offered little in the way of competitiveness, leaving him to circulate at the fringes of the midfield.
With younger teammates and rivals continuing to shine, results like this have potential to raise questions about his future.
Gabriel Bortoleto - C
The rookie continues to impress with his composure. Though he finished 15th and out of the points, his qualifying was respectable, and he showed steady racecraft throughout.
Considering he is still less than a year removed from winning Formula 2, Gabriel Bortoleto’s maturity stands out. Sauber may not have the car for consistent points, but Bortoleto is proving a reliable presence on Sundays.
Racing Bulls
Isack Hadjar - A+
A fairytale weekend for the rookie Frenchman, who turned a fourth-place qualifying into his maiden Formula One podium. Benefiting from Norris’ retirement, yes, but Hadjar held his nerve brilliantly under immense pressure and delivered every lap when it counted.
“To cross the line third is just unreal,” he said afterward, clearly emotional.
Liam Lawson - B-
Lawson was unlucky to leave Zandvoort empty-handed. After qualifying eighth, he looked set for a solid points haul until contact with Sainz left him with a puncture and front wing damage that dropped him to 12th.
His pace before the incident was strong, and the performance overall was promising. Still, in a tight midfield, luck can be the difference, and Lawson will know this was a missed opportunity.
Aston Martin
Lance Stroll - B+
Stroll quietly put together one of his more composed weekends of the year, finishing seventh. His race wasn’t flashy, but it was consistent, and the points will prove crucial in Aston Martin’s Constructors’ fight.
Starting from the back after a poor qualifying, his recovery drive was a testament to both strategy and his patience in traffic.
Fernando Alonso - B
Fernando Alonso battled his way to eighth, salvaging points in a car that still looked a step behind the front-running midfield.
The veteran Spaniard’s experience was evident in his defensive driving and race management, but Aston’s lack of pace prevented a better result. Nonetheless, his four points combined with another six from teammate Stroll keep the team moving upward.
Haas
Oliver Bearman - A-
Oliver Bearman produced a breakthrough drive, finishing sixth for his best result in F1 to date. His qualifying was a bleak 19th, but he cut through the field with confidence and made decisive overtakes to claim eight points.
For Haas, it was a result that showed their young driver is maturing quickly and capable of punching above the car’s weight.
Esteban Ocon - B-
Esteban Ocon managed to sneak into the final points-paying position with 10th, but it was hardly a standout drive.
He was consistent, avoided major incidents, and picked up the scraps left by others’ mistakes. While Haas will be happy with both cars in the points, Ocon will know his teammate stole the spotlight this weekend.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly - D
Pierre Gasly had another difficult race, finishing 17th after a poor qualifying and a race spent slipping backwards. The frustration was obvious, as his season continues to be defined by inconsistency.
Franco Colapinto - C
Franco Colapinto finished just outside the points in 11th, a respectable result given Alpine’s struggles.
His racecraft was tidy and his pace steady, but the car lacked enough performance to push into the top ten.
For one still acclimating to F1, he showed composure, and Alpine will take encouragement from the performance despite no points on the board.
Looking ahead
The 2025 Dutch Grand Prix may not have been the most action-packed race of the season, but its significance cannot be overstated. Piastri’s victory strengthened his championship grip, and with Norris sidelined by mechanical failure, the Australian now looks like the clear favourite heading into Monza.
Elsewhere, Zandvoort gave F1 a glimpse of its future. Hadjar’s maiden podium was a storyline for the season, while Bearman’s best finish yet underscored the promise of the new generation.
On the other end of the spectrum, Ferrari’s double-DNF highlighted the depth of their crisis, a season once full of hope sinking now into disappointment.
As the grid looks towards Monza, one truth is clear: the Dutch Grand Prix marked a turning point, where Piastri’s path to the crown became more defined, and the next generation of challengers made themselves impossible to ignore.
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