Sports
Lando Norris thrashes Max Verstappen to win Dutch GP and silence ‘Oranje army’
By Phil Duncan, at Zandvoort
Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen in the Dutch driver’s backyard to ignite his hopes of winning the Formula One world championship. Norris might have feared the worst after he allowed Verstappen to blast ahead of him following another poor start for the Briton here in Zandvoort.
But Norris silenced 105,000 orange-clad fans when he slipstreamed his way back past their hero on lap 18 of 72 before delivering an emphatic win to cross the line 22.8 seconds clear of Verstappen.
Norris’s triumph marked just the second of his career – arriving 112 days after his maiden victory in Miami – to reduce the championship deficit from 78 points to 70 with nine rounds remaining and 258 points still to play for.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third, one place ahead of McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. George Russell finished seventh, while Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton drove through the field from 14th to eighth.
An unwanted statistic lingered over Norris as he headed into Sunday’s race. Despite claiming three previous career poles, he had never led after the opening corner. And history repeated itself on the short blast to the Tarzan bend when Norris looked as though he was treading through treacle as Verstappen breezed clear.
Norris’ reaction time was the same as his rival – 0.28 seconds – but the second phase of his getaway cost the McLaren man dearly, and Norris was suddenly staring at the back of Verstappen’s Red Bull gearbox.
Verstappen has dominated every edition of this race since F1 returned to the Netherlands in 2021, and the very early stages of Sunday’s affair suggested he might claim his fourth triumph in as many appearances on home soil.
There were confusing messages coming out of McLaren, too. Norris was asked by race engineer, Will Joseph, who he thought he was racing. The answer appeared obvious: Verstappen – the man he beat to pole by more than three tenths – and Norris agreed. “The car ahead,” he roared. Yet, Joseph’s question seemed to cast doubt over whether McLaren truly believed they had the speed to match Verstappen.
Yet, McLaren have provided Norris with a rocket ship, while Red Bull are simply no longer the dominant force they once were. And, as the lap count ticked down, Norris, who at one stage was almost two seconds behind Verstappen, was occupying the Dutchman’s Red Bull mirrors.
By the start of lap 15 Norris was less than a second behind and in DRS range. Two laps later and the gap was half a second with Verstappen reporting that his tyres felt “numb”. The TV feed cut to Christian Horner who wore a pained expression on the Red Bull pit-wall as he perhaps sensed the inevitable, and, on lap 18, Norris struck.
The British driver latched on to Verstappen’s tow before jinking to his right at 200mph and making the move stick at the first bend. Verstappen had no answer and six laps later, Norris was two seconds clear. “I can’t go any faster,” a downbeat Verstappen said.
At the start of lap 26, Norris was five seconds ahead, and when Verstappen pulled in for his first stop, Norris’ advantage stood at nearly seven seconds.
In the past, McLaren have been accused of fluffing their strategy lines, but they wasted no time in bringing Norris in to cover off Verstappen.
It was not the speediest stop – half a second slower than Verstappen’s – but Norris emerged ahead of the Red Bull. On lap 40 his lead stood at 10 seconds. This was turning into an exhibition.
McLaren’s first major upgrade since Norris won in Miami had delivered the goods and, with Red Bull stuttering, a championship challenge could yet be on the cards. Who would have thought that when Verstappen won five of the opening seven races? However, this marked the triple world champion’s fifth consecutive appearance without a win.
Norris admitted prior to Sunday’s race that he has not been driving at the level required to win the world title. But following a string of missed opportunities, his commanding victory will provide him – and fans of the sport craving a title contest – that this championship is still very much alive.
Norris strolls to Dutch GP win and ignites title challenge, as it happened
03:58 PM BST
Zak Brown of McLaren speaks to Sky Sports
That was pretty awesome. Lando drove perfectly, the team did a great job, the strategy was great. I think Oscar had enough pace to get Charles but Charles drove great. Some celebrating tonight and then get ready for Monza. It was a big gap. We knew we were fast all weekend but I’m not shocked but pleasantly surprised at the size of the gap.
It’s going to be an exciting nine races to go. I think the upgrades clearly worked, I think we need to keep our feet on the ground… and not assume that’s not going to be a repeat every weekend but I hope we can do it a few more times.
03:55 PM BST
Three wins this season for McLaren now
186 in total. They were on 182 for nearly a decade, won in 2021 in Italy but, many podiums later, have taken multiple wins in a season for the first time since 2012.
How many more can they win? Looking at the competitive picture with nine rounds left you’d say there’s more than half a chance of them winning a fair few of them if they can string it together.
03:51 PM BST
Updated constructor standings
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Red Bull 434
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McLaren 404
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Ferrari 370
-
Mercedes 276
-
Aston Martin 74
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RB 34
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Haas 27
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Alpine 13
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Williams 4
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Sauber 0
03:50 PM BST
Updated driver standings, top 10
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull 295
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Lando Norris, McLaren 225
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari 192
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren 179
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Carlos Sainz, Ferrari 172
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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 154
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Sergio Perez, Red Bull, 139
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George Russell, Mercedes 122
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin 50
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin 24
03:45 PM BST
Norris reacts to his second grand prix victory
It feels amazing. Once again, I wouldn’t say a perfect race because of lap one again but afterwards it was beautiful. The car was unbelievable today. I could push and get past Max which was the main thing. Honestly, quite a straightforward race but still tough. I have a lot of Dutch fans and Dutch supporters so I think you very much. I am sure some are a little upset, but I hope it was a good race.
From quite early on, probably lap five, six or seven, I expected Max to start pushing and get a little bit of a gap but he never did… he just seemed to keep dropping off and my pace got better.
03:43 PM BST
Charles Leclerc on his third place after starting sixth
Yeah, very, very surprised [to get on the podium]. I am not very often happy with a P3 but I think with today’s race we can be extremely happy with the job we have done. In the race we found some more pace, executed a perfect strategy, undercut our competitors and managed to keep them behind.
03:42 PM BST
Max Verstappen speaks after his second place
That’s five races in a row without a win now.
Well, you always try to do better. We had a good start. We tried everything we could today but throughout the race it was quite clear we were not quick enough. I know that we have good starts, I was quite confident we would have another one. Luckily it was like that.
03:41 PM BST
Verstappen and Red Bull fairly subdued on the radio
Very much making it clear that it was damage limitation here this weekend. I am not sure they would have expected to lose by more than 22 seconds, though. With the fastest lap point Norris takes eight points out of Verstappen’s championship lead, cutting it to 70 points. Still significant but I think Red Bull will be rightly concerned about the direction of both championships.
Sergio Perez did an OK job to claim sixth. Red Bull will just about be content with that. Ahead of the two Mercedes cars at least.
03:38 PM BST
Dutch GP – Classification, top 10
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NOR – 26pts
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VER – 18pts
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LEC – 15pts
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PIA – 12pts
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SAI – 10pts
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PER – 8pts
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RUS – 6pts
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HAM – 4pts
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GAS – 2pts
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ALO – 1pt
03:37 PM BST
Norris speaks on the radio after a crushing win
“Simply lovely, huh,” he says parroting Verstappen’s catchphrase. “Let’s keep pushing,” he adds.
03:36 PM BST
LANDO NORRIS WINS THE 2024 DUTCH GRAND PRIX
He ends the run of Verstappen victories and does so with the fastest lap of the race on the final lap! His winning margin of 22.896sec also beats the 22.457sec that Verstappen beat Perez by in Bahrain at the start of the season.
Verstappen second, Leclerc third and Piastri fourth.
03:35 PM BST
FINAL LAP
Norris with just a handful of corners left to take the most commanding win. What a statement after the summer break this will be. Looks like he might win by more than Verstappen’s Bahrain winning margin, too…
03:34 PM BST
Lap 71 of 72 – Norris now so fast he is lapping some cars twice
Both Saubers, a team having a rotten season, have been lapped twice. Ouch.
03:33 PM BST
Lap 70 of 72 – Norris’s lead now 20 seconds
Piastri has dropped back so I think is settling for 1.5sec. Perez’s sixth place looks safe from the two Mercedes cars behin.
03:32 PM BST
Lap 69 of 72 – Piastri has not given up on third
1.3sec the gap to Leclerc. Needs a perfect final few laps, though. I can’t see it happening. A disappointing day for him but I am not sure his strategy was optimised.
03:31 PM BST
Lap 68 of 72 – This might be the largest winning margin of the season
Verstappen won by 22.457 at the start of the year in Bahrain. Probably too much for Norris to get that far ahead with so few laps left but still, this is quite a turnaround.
03:30 PM BST
Lap 67 of 72 – Top 10 and gaps
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NOR
-
VER +19.5
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LEC +24.1
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PIA +25.2
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SAI +31.0
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PER +38.0
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RUS +46.0
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HAM +47.7
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GAS +1 lap
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ALO +1 lap
03:29 PM BST
Lap 66 of 72 – An off day for Mercedes
Seventh and eighth after winning three of the last four. Surprised they have been slower than Ferrari here today but Russell was undercut at the first stops and then never recovered. Hamilton was always on the back foot after being eliminated in Q2 and then handed a three-place penalty.
03:27 PM BST
Lap 65 of 72 – McLaren have made a mess of promising situations this year
None of that today. They lost the lead at the start but then just waited until the right moment and have not looked back there. Piastri has struggled to get himself into the game in the second stint after being left out long but credit to Ferrari and Leclerc for a strong performance after a poor qualifying.
Norris lock up slightly at the final chicane. Nothing to be too concerned about, though.
03:25 PM BST
Lap 64 of 72 – Norris leads by nearly 18 seconds
Barring a Verstappen DNF or scoring very few points, I still think a genuine title challenge from Norris is out of the question.
03:24 PM BST
Lap 63 of 72 – Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race
He is currently eighth and is closing in on team-mate George Russell for seventh. Fernando Alonso gets into the points at Hulkenberg’s expense.
03:23 PM BST
Lap 62 of 72 – Piastri’s challenge looks to have faltered again
He has dropped to about 1.4sec behind.
03:22 PM BST
Lap 61 of 72 – Gasly gets himself back into P9
He overtakes Hulkenberg, who is on 47-lap old hard tyres. Alonso is nearly within a second of him. Not sure the Haas will have the pace to take the final point…
03:20 PM BST
Lap 60 of 72 – It would be 37 points for McLaren today
And 26 for Red Bull, depending on fastest laps etc.
03:19 PM BST
Lap 59 of 72 – Norris’s lead is now 16 seconds over Verstappen
This is going to be McLaren’s biggest winning margin since… well, quite some time, I would imagine. McLaren are going to be making up ground on Red Bull today.
03:18 PM BST
Lap 58 of 72 – Piastri back within DRS range of Leclerc
What has he got this time?
03:18 PM BST
Lap 57 of 72 – Norris still looking dominant
Imperious.
03:17 PM BST
Lap 56 of 72 – Piastri has come back slightly at Leclerc for third
Russell the fastest man on the track on fresh tyres. Perez is 14 seconds ahead of him with that number of laps remaining give or take a couple.
03:15 PM BST
Lap 55 of 72 – Top 10 and gaps
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NOR
-
VER +15.7
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LEC +22.3
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PIA +23.4
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SAI +30.8
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PER +33.5
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RUS +51.0
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HAM +53.8
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HUL +68.0
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GAS +71.0
03:13 PM BST
Lap 54 of 72 – Ferrari have shown a decent turn of pace here
Sainz now within DRS range of Russell for fifth an Leclerc has seen off Piastri’s attack.
Home race next week at Monza, remember. Russell stops from fifth…
03:12 PM BST
Lap 53 of 72 – Piastri has dropped back now
Not sure what McLaren do with him? Settle for fourth. Would be a bit disappointing but stopping again isn’t going to get him anywhere with just 18 laps to go.
03:10 PM BST
Lap 52 of 72 – Leclerc and Piastri are clear of the backmarkers
But Piastri does not appear to be any closer to Leclerc and is now, indeed, out of DRS range as Norris laps Stroll in 12th.
03:09 PM BST
Lap 51 of 72 – Norris leads Verstappen by 14.2sec
In case you were wondering what was happening at the front.
03:08 PM BST
Lap 50 of 72 – Piastri now losing time to Verstappen
About 0.3sec the last time around. He needs to get the move done quickly if he wants to make it a McLaren 1-2.
03:07 PM BST
Lap 49 of 72 – Piastri not close enough to try a move on Leclerc on the main straight
Even with DRS. There are some backmarkers coming up in the next couple of laps for the pair but that could help one driver or another. Red Bull mechanics out in the pit lane with soft tyres… and then they march back into the garage with the Pirelli-labelled rubber.
03:05 PM BST
Lap 48 of 72 – Piastri’s pace has dropped off
But that is only because he is right on Leclerc’s rear wing and that will help Verstappen in his hunt for second place. Mercedes mechanics out in the pit lane for Hamilton, who is in no man’s land in eighth.
03:05 PM BST
Lap 47 of 72 – Sainz finally gets Perez for sixth
The Red Bull driver down in seventh now with just Hamilton, who started down the field, behind of the top four teams.
03:03 PM BST
Lap 46 of 72 – Piastri reaches DRS range
He is now lapping half a second faster than Leclerc and also Verstappen. Norris is pretty much on Piastri’s pace showing us definitively that the McLaren is the class of the field today.
03:01 PM BST
Lap 45 of 72 – Piastri will very soon be within DRS range of Leclerc
When the time comes I cannot see it being a tricky overtake. Perez and Sainz duelling for sixth with Perez keeping the place as it stands.
03:00 PM BST
Lap 44 of 72 – Norris leads Verstappen by 11.5sec
Verstappen not happy with the state of his tyres.
03:00 PM BST
Lap 43 of 72 – Top 10
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NOR
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VER +11.1
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LEC +17.4
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PIA +18.7
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RUS +2..8
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PER +25.9
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SAI +26.4
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HAM +31.5
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HUL +53.0
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GAS +62.3
02:59 PM BST
Lap 42 of 72 – Norris leads Verstappen by 10.7sec
Hamilton is in eighth and Carlos Sainz is the next man in his sights but with much older hard tyres.
02:58 PM BST
Lap 41 of 72 – Piastri taking about 0.4-0.5sec out of those in front at the moment
He is 1.8sec behind Leclerc and now only 8.5sec behind Verstappen…
02:56 PM BST
Lap 40 of 72 – Good progress from Piastri
He goes around the outside of Russell at turn one to take fourth. 3.8sec to make up to reach Leclerc in third. Hmmm. With 30-odd laps to go I am not sure that a McLaren 1-2 is out of the question.
Norris now leads by more than 10 seconds, by the way. We haven’t seen much of him on our TV screens recently. Cake walk for him at the moment.
02:54 PM BST
Lap 39 of 72 – Five-second penalty for Stroll
For speeding in the pit lane.
02:53 PM BST
Lap 39 of 72 – Where can Piastri finish?
He has a six-lap tyre advantage or so over those ahead. Russell is just 1.4sec ahead, Leclerc in third is 5.1sec ahead and Verstappen about 11.1sec. Second might be hard, a podium is certainly possible. But can Piastri get even close to what Norris is getting out of the car?
02:52 PM BST
Lap 38 of 72 – Watch the move that secured Norris the lead
02:51 PM BST
Lap 37 of 72 – Four different machines in the top four
McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Repeat that from fifth down to eighth in the same manner.
02:50 PM BST
Lap 36 of 72 – Full order at half distance
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NOR
-
VER
-
LEC
-
RUS
-
PIA
-
PER
-
SAI
-
HAM
-
HUL
-
MAG
-
ALB
-
GAS
-
ALO
-
STR
-
RIC
-
BOT
-
SAR
-
OCO
-
TSU
-
ZHO
Magnussen the only driver yet to stop.
02:49 PM BST
Lap 35 of 72 – This is a role-reversal of what we saw earlier in the season
If anyone could challenge Red Bull then it would not last long. Once Verstappen took the lead his advantage just extended and extended.
02:48 PM BST
Lap 34 of 72 – Norris leads Verstappen by 7.6sec
The McLaren is rapid today. Verstappen has no answer for this pace.
02:47 PM BST
Lap 33 of 72 – Piastri pits from the lead
He will have lost a significant amount of time in that last phase but the hope is that the tyre advantage will help him charge through the field for a podium.
He is out in fifth, but 3.8sec behind Russell with Leclerc in third a further four seconds up the road.
02:46 PM BST
Lap 32 of 73 – Top 10
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PIA
-
NOR
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VER
-
LEC
-
RUS
-
GAS
-
PER
-
SAI
-
HAM
-
HUL
Piastri and Gasly are the only drivers in that who have yet to stop. Verstappen now 6.3sec behind Norris if you needed another reminder of the pace in the lead McLaren.
Piastri told to pit at the end of the lap.
02:44 PM BST
Lap 31 of 72 – Piastri leads Norris by 5.5sec
Piastri has yet to stop, remember. Alonso pits at the end of the lap for the first time.
02:43 PM BST
Lap 30 of 72 – Sainz pits from second
Piastri stays out, so it seems they are staggering the strategies slightly. Or they are running him longer to give him a tyre advantage later on in the race as they hope he will be able to close in on Verstappen for second. Norris is back on his rocket-ship pace now, edging 5.5sec ahead of Verstappen.
02:42 PM BST
Lap 29 of 72 – Piastri now leads Sainz and Norris
He has not stopped, nor has Sainz. A slow stop for Perez. 4.4sec, which is far from ideal. Hamilton gets Magnussen for 11th.
02:41 PM BST
Lap 28 of 72 – Verstappen pit at the end of lap 27
He goes onto the hard tyres. Norris does the same at the end of this lap and maintains a five-second advantage over the Dutchman.
02:38 PM BST
Lap 27 of 72 – Norris’s pace is not letting up
His lead is nearly six seconds now ahead of Verstappen. He only overtook on lap 18!
02:37 PM BST
Lap 26 of 72 – Piastri told to go long
He is also in danger of being undercut by Leclerc.
02:37 PM BST
Lap 25 of 72 – Russell told to come into the pits
Will be interesting to see what Verstappen’s pace is like on hard tyres because it has dropped off rapidly at the end of this stint. I think Verstappen should still be a comfortable second but there is still a long way to go in this race.
It’s a bit of a slow stop for Russell but he is undercut by the Ferrari of Leclerc.
02:35 PM BST
Lap 24 of 72 – A flurry of stops
Leclerc comes in, Norris’s lead is nearly five seconds now. Russell still 6.1sec adrift.
02:34 PM BST
Lap 23 of 72 – Norris’s pace is rapid
He was 0.8sec faster than Verstappen that last time, increasing his lead to 3.5sec.
Hamilton pits from ninth having recently failed to overtake Gasly at turn one.
02:33 PM BST
Lap 22 of 72 – Top 10 and gaps
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NOR
-
VER +2.6
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RUS +8.2
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PIA +9.4
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LEC +9.8
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PER +12.7
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SAI +15.6
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GAS +23.9
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HAM +24.9
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ALO +27.7
02:31 PM BST
Lap 21 of 72 – Norris now leads by nearly two seconds
Impressive. Russell isn’t really closing in on Verstappen so this is just Norris’s inherent pace in the McLaren doing the trick.
02:30 PM BST
Lap 20 of 72 – Norris says he feels like his brakes are going long
But perhaps there is more wind all of a sudden, he says. He has not quite been able to get out of DRS range until the end of this lap and he has broken that as they enter the pit straight to start lap 21, that is crucial.
Russell not really in this fight as it stands, five seconds behind Verstappen but doing a good job of holding off Piastri behind.
02:28 PM BST
Lap 19 of 72 – “What’s the plan from here?” Norris asks
The team asks about the tyres, which he says are fine and then the plan is plan A. They think Verstappen might try the undercut but “that is cool”, Norris is told. Sure. He isn’t yet a second ahead of Verstappen, but is trying to get that gap and get out of DRS range.
02:27 PM BST
Lap 18 of 72 – Norris takes the lead!
With DRS down the pit straight he puts his McLaren down the inside and gets the move down cleanly and fairly. Verstappen tried to resist but not especially robustly. I think he knew his number was up there but at least gave it a perfunctory attempt to hang it around the outside.
Before the final sector Norris is already nearly a second ahead…
02:26 PM BST
Lap 17 of 72 – Norris much, much closer as they go into turn one
Probably only a few metres between them at the tuirn-in zone. Norris took half a second out of the leader there. Verstappen says his tyres are “numb” and that they do not grip.
02:24 PM BST
Lap 16 of 72 – Top 10 as it stands
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VER
-
NOR
-
RUS
-
PIA
-
LEC
-
PER
-
SAI
-
GAS
-
HAM
-
ALO
02:24 PM BST
Lap 15 of 72 – Verstappen’s lead stays around one second
I think Norris is just biding his time here until the pit window opens. Being the man behind works in his favour with the undercut once he gets some clean air to go into. Hamilton coming up to the rear wing of Fernando Alonso, and will get DRS on the pit straight.
02:22 PM BST
Lap 14 of 72 – Verstappen says “the car doesn’t turn at all in turn 10”
Does Norris just need to be patient here? Possibly. The leading pair are 3.8sec ahead of Russell in third who is 1.3sec ahead of Piastri with Leclerc close behind.
02:21 PM BST
Lap 13 of 72 – Norris on the radio
He is told “probably plan A” but Plan B “might be a way to beat Max”. He says the “pace is strong” which certainly seems to be the case as he gets within DRS range, having taken a tenth out of the Dutchman on the last lap.
Hamilton into the points with a move on Stroll at turn one.
02:20 PM BST
Lap 12 of 72 – Having said that about Norris…
He is now within 1.1sec of Verstappen at the start of this lap. I think that is just down to the natural variation in lap times within a window. Oscar Piastri says he thinks Plan A is the way to go, whatever that is.
By the end of the lap Norris is nearly within a second of Verstappen. The McLaren does tend to be a bit easier on its tyres as the stints and races go on so maube we are seeing that here.
02:18 PM BST
Lap 11 of 72 – Sainz and Gasly duel at the start of the lap
And they get very close but the Ferrari prevails and moves up into seventh. Norris takes a tenth or so out of Verstappen every now and then but there are not really any signs of Verstappen’s pace dropping off or Norris’s rapidly improving.
02:17 PM BST
Lap 10 of 72 – Hamilton update
He has moved up to 11th with a neat move on Nico Hulkenberg. Lance Stroll the next man up the road but he is now 14.2sec behind Verstappen in the lead.
02:15 PM BST
Lap 9 of 72 – Top 10 and gaps
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VER
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NOR +1.6
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RUS +4.5
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PIA +5.9
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LEC +6.5
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PER +7.7
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GAS +9.7
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SAI +10.6
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ALO +12.4
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STR +13.1
02:15 PM BST
Lap 8 of 72 – Norris posts the fastest first sector
Has he been told to put the hammer down? He needs it in fairness. Piastri has now dropped back out of DRS range behind Russell, perhaps to save his tyres.
A strange message from the McLaren pit wall to Norris. They ask who they think he’s racing. Isn’t that their job to tell him with all the data they have?
02:13 PM BST
Lap 7 of 72 – Verstappen edging ahead by a tenth or so a lap
Nothing major in the last few laps but his lead has increased to 1.6sec over Norris. Magnussen runs into the gravel at the first corner attempting an overtake.
02:11 PM BST
Lap 6 of 72 – Piastri with the fastest final sector
Not close enough to try a move, though. Here’s the race start, where Norris lost the lead (again):
IT’S LIGHTS OUT, AND AWAY WE GO! 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
Max takes the lead from Lando – can he do it for fourth year straight? 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/Ba1UPYwr8i
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 25, 2024
02:10 PM BST
Lap 5 of 72 – Norris takes a tenth out of Verstappen
But the gap looks fairly stable at 1.2sec so far. Russell still holding off Piastri for third, with Leclerc and Perez joining the back of that battle.
02:09 PM BST
Lap 4 of 72 – Top 10
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VER
-
NOR
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RUS
-
PIA
-
LEC
-
PER
-
GAS
-
ALO
-
SAI
-
STR
Hamilton in 12th, charging down Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas.
02:08 PM BST
Lap 3 of 72 – Verstappen edges ahead
1.3sec the gap to Norris behind. Russell about the same distance behind Norris but has Piastri all over his rear wing. McLaren could do with being 2nd and 3rd rather than 2nd and 4th, strategically.
02:07 PM BST
Lap 2 of 72 – Verstappen leads Norris
It’s about 1.1sec as they start the second lap but Norris starts to reel that in. Were this at the start of the season you would say that Verstappen would have this race wrapped up but the Red Bull is not necessarily the fastest car over a race distance. Hamilton takes 12th from Yuki Tsunoda at the chicane towards the end of the lap, on the soft tyres is the Mercedes driver.
02:05 PM BST
THE 2024 DUTCH GRAND PRIX IS GO!
It’s a much better start for Verstappen who takes the lead before they even get to the braking zone of turn one! Russell gets ahead of Piastri too so both McLarens are down a place each. Piastri on theback foot here and is under pressure from Leclerc as they head through the fast section in turn four and five.
Verstappen is already a second ahead of Norris after two sectors…
02:01 PM BST
The formation lap begins
Verstappen lights up his tyres and zooms ahead of Norris into turn one but then drops back at the braking zone. Mind games, or just a better practice start?
01:59 PM BST
Starting tyre types
Everyone on the top 10 on mediums. In fact only Tsunoda, Hamilton, Bottas on the softs and Magnussen (who is now starting from the pit lane) on the hards.
01:51 PM BST
A fantastic sight at Zandvoort
10 years ago a Dutch Grand Prix would have seem fanciful in the extreme. One man changed all of that, though.
01:49 PM BST
Norris’s plan for today?
“Get my head down and crack on, as simple as that,” he says.
01:48 PM BST
Dutch GP: Final starting grid
1. NOR 2. VER
3. PIA 4. RUS
5. PER 6. LEC
7. ALO 8 STR
9. GAS 10. SAI
11. TSU 12. HUL
13. MAG 14. HAM
15. RIC 16. OCO
17. BOT 18. ZHO
19. SAR 20. ALB
01:48 PM BST
A better qualifying session for Aston Martin
This season has not exactly been a write-off for them but it has been difficult. After finishing fifth last year with 280 points they will be lucky to make 100, having fallen into the no-man’s land ahead of the midfield pack (mostly) but well behind the leaders.
Eight podiums last year but only a best finish of fifth (once) this year. They start seventh and eighth today.
Full starting grid incoming…
01:40 PM BST
Jack Doohan speaks to Martin Brundle on the grid
He will line up alongside Pierre Gasly for Alpine next year and is the son of motorcycle grand prix champion Mick Doohan.
It’s amazing, something that me and my father have been working towards for a long time. I know I am in a very lucky position, so grateful for it. We’re both very relieved and very happy. I am so grateful for him and everything he gave me to be able to get here.
01:36 PM BST
200 race starts for Max Verstappen today
Assuming he takes to the grid, that is. He has won 61 of his 199 starts so far and that is a win percentage only bettered by Jim Clark who won 25 of 73 entries. Here is the top five of that over all time:
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Jim Clark 34.25%
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Max Verstappen 30.65%
-
Lewis Hamilton 30.35%
-
Michael Schumacher 29.55%
-
Jackie Stewart 27%
01:33 PM BST
Norris’s starts have not been the best this season
In Hungary he got slightly bogged down from pole and that really put him on the back foot. In Belgium last time out he dropped from fourth to seventh after running wide at turn one. Will he make a better job of it here? It’s a short run to the first corner…
01:19 PM BST
Hamilton says he wishes it was raining
As well he might.
01:13 PM BST
Current team standings
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Red Bull definitely under threat and need Perez to start delivering hefty points hauls.
01:04 PM BST
Current F1 driver standings: Top 10
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Despite not winning in the last four rounds, Max Verstappen has managed to increase his lead in the standings to 78 points from 69 points in that time. A big part of that probably comes down to Norris not finishing at the Austrian GP when they clashed.
12:59 PM BST
Watch: Onboard Norris claims pole at Zandvoort
12:49 PM BST
Dutch Grand Prix, qualifying times
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Lando Norris, McLaren 1:09.673sec
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull +0.356
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.499
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George Russell, Mercedes +0.571
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Sergio Perez, Red Bull +0.743
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.909
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +0.960
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Alexander Albon, Williams +0.980
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +1.184
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine +1.304
OUT IN Q2: -
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari 1:10.914
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Lewis Hamikton, Mercedes 1:10.948
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Yuki Tsunoda, RB 1:10.955
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Nico Hulkenberg, Haas 1:11.215
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Kevin Magnussen, Haas 1:11.295
OUT IN Q1: -
Daniel Ricciardo, RB 1:11.943
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Esteban Ocon, Alpine 1:11.995
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Valtteri Bottas, Sauber 1:12.168
-
Zhou Guanyu, Sauber 1:13.261
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Logan Sargeant, Williams (no time)
There are penalties for Albon and Hamilton, so the final grid will look different to this.
12:40 PM BST
Good afternoon
Welcome to our coverage for the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix from Zandvoort. It is the first race after the summer break. What we saw in qualifying yesterday was largely a continuation of what we saw in the last six or so races before the seasonal hiatus. In other words: the two McLarens and the one Red Bull of Max Verstappen closely matched with Mercedes a little further behind and Ferrari rearwards still.
Lando Norris took his fourth pole in F1 and his third of the season with arguably his best and most dominant qualifying lap of 2024. In the end he was around three and a half tenths ahead of Verstappen with Oscar Piastri a little further behind. George Russell put in a good lap to claim fourth for Mercedes but he was never truly in the fight for pole.
Russell’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton had a much tougher session. Not only was he eliminated in Q2, he also took a three place grid penalty for impeding Sergio Perez earlier on in the session. He almost wrote off his weekend with that session and that is probably about right in normal circumstances.
Still, it could be worse. Alexander Albon thought he had qualified eighth but an irregularity with the size of his Williams’ floor meant he was disqualified. That makes a bad weekend even worse for Williams, after Logan Sargent’s costly crash in FP3 yesterday.
We have had a fair amount of rain in the last few days at Zandvoort but today looks to be the driest and clearest of them all, though the wind could still play a factor.
The race begins at 2pm BST and we will be here for all of the build up, live updates and reaction from the race.
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