Norris reclaimed victory lane at Zandvoort's final Grand Prix, closing the gap in a championship fight that looked dead three weeks ago. The McLaren driver struggled badly on softs in stint one—admitting he didn't think a win was possible—but the hard compound flipped the script. Mercedes pitted Antonelli early under pressure, and Norris attacked the rookie on fresh rubber, committing to the outside of Turn 1 in a move that decided the race. Antonelli led 40-plus laps but couldn't match Norris's pace after the tire switch, settling for second despite a late VSC pit stop gamble. Russell completed the Mercedes double-podium in third, holding off both Ferraris while Piastri's afternoon unraveled via a slow stop and mysterious grip loss. Norris won by 11 seconds but wasn't satisfied—McLaren still bleeds time in slow corners, and Monza's high-speed layout will test whether Hungary and Zandvoort were real progress or favorable circuit quirks.
Read the full story at formula1.comWHAT THE TEAMS SAID – RACE DAY IN THE NETHERLANDS
Norris reclaimed victory lane at Zandvoort's final Grand Prix, closing the gap in a championship fight that looked dead three weeks ago. The McLaren driver struggled badly on softs in stint one—admitting he didn't think a win was possible—but the hard compound flipped the script. Mercedes pitted Antonelli early under pressure, and Norris attacked the rookie on fresh rubber, committing to the outside of Turn 1 in a move that decided the race. Antonelli led 40-plus laps but couldn't match Norris's pace after the tire switch, settling for second despite a late VSC pit stop gamble. Russell completed the Mercedes double-podium in third, holding off both Ferraris while Piastri's afternoon unraveled via a slow stop and mysterious grip loss. Norris won by 11 seconds but wasn't satisfied—McLaren still bleeds time in slow corners, and Monza's high-speed layout will test whether Hungary and Zandvoort were real progress or favorable circuit quirks.
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