Rain affected preparations for the final Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort, where the track began to dry before the 72-lap race. Lando Norris started from pole for McLaren, with Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli close behind. The race was scheduled for 15:00 local time on Sunday, 23 August 2026, the season’s 13th round on a 24-race calendar.
The event marked the end of Zandvoort’s Formula 1 hosting agreement, which ran through 2026. No Dutch Grand Prix is scheduled at the circuit after this edition, making the race the venue’s final round on the calendar. Norris had said the previous day that McLaren needed to “put on a show for everyone at the last race here.”
Russell arrived at the Grand Prix after winning the sprint, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Norris. Antonelli finished fourth in the sprint, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri; Max Verstappen was sixth, Lewis Hamilton seventh and Pierre Gasly eighth. Russell and Leclerc finished the six sprint events level on 34 points in an unofficial ranking, with Russell ahead on countback. Formula 1 does not award a separate sprint championship.
The Grand Prix was interrupted by rain and a red flag after an incident involving Verstappen. After the restart, Antonelli briefly took the lead, but Norris regained the position later through pace management and strategy. Norris converted pole into victory, earning 25 championship points; Antonelli took second for 18 points and Russell third for 15.
Rain and changing track conditions also shaped Aston Martin’s race. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll started on Soft tyres from 18th and 19th respectively. After the red-flag stoppage, the race resumed with a standing start. By lap 10, the pair had moved up to 14th and 15th. Alonso switched to Hard tyres after 30 laps and finished ninth, scoring two points, while Stroll finished 18th.
Antonelli’s second place followed a third-place start and fourth-place finish in the sprint, giving the Mercedes driver 23 points across the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. Russell won the sprint, and Antonelli and Russell finished on the Grand Prix podium, showing how closely Mercedes and the other leading teams competed. Norris’s victory gave McLaren the final Dutch Grand Prix win at Zandvoort.
