.png){kind=small}
The penultimate Dutch Grand Prix is in the books as McLaren's Oscar Piastri takes another win, with Max Verstappen taking second, and Isack Hadjar taking third. It wasn’t smooth sailing though, as the race saw three major retirements and plenty of drama throughout. With that, here are the top takeaways, key moments, and things to know from Zandvoort:
Top three moments from the race
- Ferrari’s misfortunes at Turn 3
The Virtual Safety Car came out on lap 23 as Lewis Hamilton went wide and found the barriers of turn three. This continues a string of troubles that Hamilton has had in the Ferrari since the start of the year.
But he wasn’t alone in his hard luck, as on lap 53, his teammate Charles Leclerc got clipped by Kimi Antonelli and spun out, putting the remaining Ferrari out of the race. Leclerc was also under investigation for an aggressive overtake on George Russell on lap 35 in the race. The two touched wheels and Leclerc was dangerously close to being entirely off-track during the move, which the stewards decided to look further into after the race.
- An oil leak seals the deal for McLaren
With just eight laps to go, disaster struck the McLaren pitwall as Lando Norris reported a mechanical failure, forcing him to park his car and retire. This was a particularly painful moment, as Norris had been driving excellently for the entire grand prix. With the retirement, Piastri collects an additional 25-point advantage in the fight for the Drivers’ title, putting him 34 points ahead of Norris now. With just nine rounds remaining, this will certainly add a level of tension to McLaren garage as their two drivers continue to vie for the highest prize in motor racing.
- Hadjar on top
After defending against Leclerc for the first half of the race, and then Russell for the second half, Hadjar became the second rookie of the year to find himself on the podium. The young rookie drove brilliantly for the entire grand prix, and truly deserved the champagne celebrations with the best of the best. After the disaster start to the year he had at the Australian Grand Prix, Hadjar has been thriving and has really put down a case for Rookie of the Year for himself.
Temperature check
Who rose above expectations? And who flopped? Here’s our temperature check for the Dutch GP:
Sizzling - Oliver Bearman. From starting in the pit lane to finishing P6 in the race, Bearman showed incredible racecraft and skill on track today.
Ice cold - Kimi Antonelli. After getting a 10-second penalty for his collision with Leclerc, Antonelli was hit with an additional five seconds for speeding in the pitlane.
Radio of the day
“Who gets a penalty? Me? Are you joking? This is the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life!” - Carlos Sainz
After contact with Liam Lawson that saw both of them tumbling down the order, Carlos Sainz found himself on the receiving end of a massive 10-second penalty for causing a collision. Sainz made his emotions clear on radio, even adding that he wanted to speak with the stewards after the race.
%20(1).webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
