2025 Dutch Grand Prix Recap

By Ryan Wu

Was this the turning point in the tightly contested Championship battle? Oscar Piastri, who started from pole ahead of teammate Lando Norris, claimed his maiden victory at Zandvoort. He was joined on the podium by home favorite Max Verstappen and surprise contender Isack Hadjar.

Piastri delivered a dominant weekend—winning from pole, recording the fastest lap, and leading every lap.

The race began with a furious start as Verstappen overtook Norris into the first corner. The Englishman struggled off the line but recovered on lap 9 to retake second, just as looming rain threatened to shake up the strategy.

On lap 23, Lewis Hamilton suffered a solo crash at Turn 3 as the rain intensified, bringing out the safety car. This erased the three-second gap between the McLarens and allowed both to pit for hard tires.

At the restart, Piastri expertly defended against Norris, who remained within DRS range but couldn’t find a way through.

A second safety car appeared on lap 53 after Kimi Antonelli collided with Charles Leclerc—again at Turn 3. The contact ended Ferrari’s race and earned Antonelli a 10-second penalty. Leclerc had been punching above the car’s pace, battling George Russell earlier in some spirited wheel-to-wheel racing, before his day ended abruptly. The incident nearly took out Liam Lawson as well, who narrowly avoided the stricken Ferrari cresting the hill.

Once again, the safety car closed the gap between the McLarens, but Norris still couldn’t pass his teammate. His race ended in heartbreak on lap 65 when smoke forced him to retire. Post-race analysis confirmed an oil leak as the cause.

Norris’ retirement has massive Championship implications. Instead of scoring valuable points, he left Zandvoort empty-handed—while Piastri extended his lead to 34 points with nine races remaining.

Terrific Results for Haas

It was a strong outing for Haas, with both drivers finishing in the points. Oliver Bearman secured an impressive 6th place, while teammate Esteban Ocon added a 10th-place finish. The result moves Haas to within seven points of Sauber in the Constructors’ standings, keeping them in realistic contention with both Racing Bulls and Aston Martin for position.

Rookie Report

What a weekend it was for Isack Hadjar. The rookie, who qualified 4th, converted his strong pace into the first podium of his career. Hadjar has been delivering consistent performances all season and now sits 10th in the Championship standings. Remarkably, he has already scored more points than Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda combined. At this rate, he looks like the frontrunner for Red Bull’s second seat next season, and for his sake, one can only hope the team gives him the opportunity and runway to succeed.

On the opposite end of fortune, Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes endured a tough weekend. He was handed a penalty for causing Charles Leclerc to crash out of the race while battling for 7th place, and eventually finished 10th. It continues a rough stretch for the wunderkind: since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, Antonelli has suffered twice the amount of DNFs (4) than points finishes (2).

Racing Refresh Driver of the Day

Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls

Final Points Finishing Positions

1st: Oscar Piastri

2nd: Max Verstappen

3rd: Isack Hadjar

4th: George Russell

5th: Alex Albon

6th: Oliver Bearman

7th: Lance Stroll

8th: Fernando Alonso

9th: Yuki Tsunoda

10th: Esteban Ocon

Next on the F1 Schedule:

Italian Grand Prix: September 5th-7th