Kimi Antonelli salvaged second at Zandvoort despite admitting he never found confidence in the W17 all weekend. Two aggressive starts saved him — he jumped Russell for P2 at lights-out, then snatched the lead from Norris on the red-flag restart after Verstappen's heavy shunt. The 19-year-old led deep into the race before Norris reeled him in and reclaimed P1. Antonelli's final hard-tyre stint unraveled; the pace evaporated, and he looked vulnerable. A late VSC triggered an extra stop that dropped him behind Russell, but Mercedes inverted the order to restore P2. Antonelli called it "the maximum we could have done" but pointed to the obvious: McLaren has taken a huge step, and Mercedes is now chasing. Russell played the team game to secure the constructor points, but Norris's second straight win makes the championship math steeper. Monza looms, and the pressure mounts.
Read the full story at formula1.comANTONELLI DETAILS WHAT ‘SAVED’ MERCEDES AFTER P2 IN DUTCH GP
Kimi Antonelli salvaged second at Zandvoort despite admitting he never found confidence in the W17 all weekend. Two aggressive starts saved him — he jumped Russell for P2 at lights-out, then snatched the lead from Norris on the red-flag restart after Verstappen's heavy shunt. The 19-year-old led deep into the race before Norris reeled him in and reclaimed P1. Antonelli's final hard-tyre stint unraveled; the pace evaporated, and he looked vulnerable. A late VSC triggered an extra stop that dropped him behind Russell, but Mercedes inverted the order to restore P2. Antonelli called it "the maximum we could have done" but pointed to the obvious: McLaren has taken a huge step, and Mercedes is now chasing. Russell played the team game to secure the constructor points, but Norris's second straight win makes the championship math steeper. Monza looms, and the pressure mounts.
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