The penultimate running of the Dutch Grand Prix before it falls from the Formula One calendar in 2027 was an eventful affair, even if on track overtaking was nigh on impossible. The circuit in the Zandvoort dunes is an old school track, designed for cars from a much different era of the sport.
The design of the spectacular turn three which has double the angle of banking as the Indianapolis Speedway is unfortunately flawed, not providing the drivers with both a high line and low line to facilitative overtaking opportunities.
That said on lap one, Max Verstappen attempted a move on Lando Norris for second place and on entry into turn three hit a patch of sand which sent his car squirrelling downwards before the Dutch master regained control, somehow coming out ahead of his McLaren rival. Yet such was Norris pace that within a hand full of laps, he simply drive around Verstappen in the 180 degree turn one, something Max would later joke about in the drivers cool down room as the replay was aired for the top three, he smiled and waved “goodbye.”
Sainz hammered by F1 stewards
Whilst Oscar Piastri dealt with three safety car restarts successfully to come home as winner with relative ease, behind him and Verstappen, all hell was braking loose up and down the field. Carlos Sainz was hammered by the stewards with a ten second penalty for contact with Liam Lawson in turn one, although the Spaniard was incensed by the decision.
When asked about his tirade of abuse uttered over team radio, Saint was unrepentant and threatened to use his role in the GPDA to escalate the matter. “Because it’s unacceptable, I think it’s not the level of stewarding that the Formula 1 is, if they are really considering that to be a 10-second penalty. On my behalf, I think it is a serious matter now that concerns me as a driver, as a GPDA director, and something that I will make sure I raise.”
Whilst Sainz trailed home outside the points, his team mate Alex Albon was promoted to fifth place in the classifications, following Kimi Antonelli being awarded separately a ten second penalty and then another five to add to his race time. The Mercedes rookie had attempted a Verstappen style manoeuvre on Charles Leclerc into turn three, but it ended badly.
Antonelli kamikaze moves
Unable to maintain the low line throughout the corner, Antonelli found his car understeering into the unfortunate Charles Leclerc who was minding his own business up top. This ended Leclerc’s race and the Monegasque commandeered a chair in amongst the sand dunes where he casually watched out the remainder of the race.
Yet Leclerc was no innocent bystander at the Dutch Grand Prix as earlier in the race he instigated a coming together with Mercedes George Russell. The significant damage to Russell’s car left him without some of his all important downforce as he limped home just outside the podium positions.
It was a net gain for Russell who started in fifth place but lost out to Leclerc when the lights went out at the start. He regained the place during a safety car period triggered by Lewis Hamilton crashing out of the race after a pit stop. With Leclerc having pitted just before the neutralisation, Russell emerged ahead once the field reshuffled. The pair then engaged in a fierce on-track battle, culminating in Leclerc pulling off a bold move through the chicane. Contact followed, leaving Russell’s car wounded and forcing him to cede position to teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Verstappen shrugs off rival complaints
Russell: “onwards to Monza”
The drama continued into the final phase of the race, as Ferrari countered Antonelli’s pit stop by bringing Leclerc in once more. The Monegasque rejoined ahead, only to be tagged by Antonelli in a Turn 3 clash that ended his race and punctured the Mercedes. Antonelli’s afternoon unravelled further when he picked up time penalties for both causing the collision and speeding in the pit lane. Russell, meanwhile, salvaged fourth despite his damage.
“Today was a tough race for us,” Russell said. “After the contact with Charles I picked up a lot of floor damage. The chicane is not a place you see many people overtake because the racing line naturally takes you towards the apex and the gravel. It was an optimistic move, and the contact effectively ended my fight for the podium. I was losing close to half a second a lap after that, so to finish P4 was probably better than expected.”
The Briton admitted that Mercedes lacked the pace for a podium regardless. “We didn’t have the strongest performance this weekend and a podium would have been unlikely. Isack [Hadjar] ran a great race and completely deserves this podium. P4 is not where we want to be, but we can be happy that we gained points on Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship. Onwards to Monza.”
Russell retained fourth place
George Russell has long been the school prefect of Formula One, so it was no surprise to hear him describe Leclerc’s move at the chicane as “optimistic.” In Russell-speak, that translates to: “How dare anyone attempt something daring that might affect my race?” To be fair, Turn 1 at Zandvoort is wide enough for drama, but the chicane? That is where moves go to die — or at least to collect invoices for floor repairs.
Leclerc, for his part, seemed to be auditioning for Formula Drift. His dive was spectacular, brave, and perhaps reckless. Russell’s response was inevitable: a wounded Mercedes hobbling to the finish while grumbling about “half a second a lap lost.” Meanwhile, Antonelli joined in the fun by misjudging Turn 3 and punting Leclerc into retirement, then adding a speeding fine for good measure. One wonders if Toto Wolff has started issuing cards to be filled in by the Mercedes engineers: “Collision? Check. Penalty? Check. Pit lane speeding? Check.”
The irony is that Russell still emerged in fourth, the sort of damage limitation that will look tidy on paper but felt like a missed chance in real time. Mercedes gained on Ferrari in the constructors’ battle, but their day was another reminder that without clear race pace, even the sharpest strategies and bravest moves descend into chaos.
FIA stewards slammed in toughest criticism of the year
Carlos Sainz left Zandvoort simmering with fury after Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix, where his race unravelled in the aftermath of a collision with Racing Bulls rookie Liam Lawson. The Williams driver was handed a 10-second penalty by the FIA stewards for causing the clash, a sanction he branded a “complete joke” as he launched one of the strongest criticisms of race officials seen this season.
The incident came on lap 26 at Turn 1, just after a safety car restart. Both Sainz and Lawson sustained punctures, limped back to the pits, and fell out of points contention. For Sainz, it was a bitter blow: Williams teammate Alex Albon came home fifth, showing that the FW47 had the speed for a strong result. Sainz, who had been running comfortably inside the top 10 before the incident, finished 13th and empty-handed.
The defining moment of Sainz’s afternoon was his tangle with Lawson at the Tarzan corner, Zandvoort’s signature first turn. Both drivers went side by side into the banking, but contact saw both cars suffer punctures being forced to limp back to the pit lane. The stewards investigated and swiftly issued Sainz a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
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