In 2026, Circuit Zandvoort will host the last Dutch GP. After five spectacular race weekends and as many performances by home hero Max Verstappen, the event has grown into one of the highlights of the sports year and a world-famous folk festival. While we count down to the finale of the Dutch GP, we also look back at the previous editions. We go back to 2025: the year in which McLaren proves to be dominant at Zandvoort.
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In the penultimate edition of the Dutch GP, McLaren’s dominance reaches new heights. Verstappen is relegated to the second starting row, behind Piastri and Norris. On soft tires, he once again has a lightning start and takes many risks, which ultimately pays off. In turn two, he passes Norris and skillfully keeps his car out of the wall. He does not hold out long against the lightning-fast papayas: in lap nine, he has to give up P2 again. Meanwhile, Piastri comfortably leads and immediately opens a gap to the rest of the field.
Crash Lewis Hamilton Zandvoort
Not even Norris can match the fast MCL39. After another nine laps, the difference between the Brit and Verstappen is already ten seconds. With the first pit window in sight, most drivers hold off for a while. Some light rain is forecast, and around Zandvoort it begins to drizzle cautiously. However, a real shower does not materialize. Charles Leclerc attempts a first pit stop in lap 23, but his timing backfires. Moments later, teammate Lewis Hamilton crashes, after which the rest of the field makes a pit stop with limited time loss. The top three also come in, keeping the order unchanged.
Verstappen switches – unlike the McLarens – to medium tires in an attempt to put pressure on his rivals. He is on Norris’s heels, but the Englishman does not let himself be passed. Liam Lawson and Carlos Sainz do not get through the restart unscathed and have to visit the pit lane again. The incident leads to some debris on the track, and for a moment there is talk of a VSC. Leclerc does better and manages to claim fifth place from George Russell. The Mercedes driver is lightly hit and then gives up his place to teammate Kimi Antonelli.
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Retirement Lando Norris
The young Italian immediately launches an attack on the Ferrari driver. In the Hugenholtz corner, he tries to pass the red car, but it does not go without a fight. Leclerc is pushed off the track, completing the Ferrari drama. Antonelli has to pay with a ten-second time penalty. This results in a second safety car, but again Verstappen can do nothing against McLaren.
At the last moment, he still gets second place handed to him: Norris retires with a broken engine, just when he wants to challenge his teammate for the win. Rookie Isack Hadjar inherits P3 and completes a colorful podium. “Unfortunately, we did not have the pace of the McLarens,” Verstappen responded afterwards. “We were a bit lucky with a retirement, but it is a good result to be on the podium here anyway. To then become second here is a good performance for us.”
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Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
