Dorothy

However Norris did all he could to keep the Italian honest and McLaren took a chance on running the defending world champion long before his final pit stop. It proved to be inspired. When Norris emerged on fresher rubber, he hared after the Mercedes, with Antonelli not enjoying the best grip and made a decisive move to take the lead with 15 laps remaining. A late virtual safety car led to Antonelli taking another stop in an effort to charge on new soft rubber and Russell reluctantly moved over for his teammate who was quicker.

A late virtual safety car led to some team orders controversy at Mercedes as George Russell was ordered to let Antonelli past into second place, leaving him vulnerable to Hamilton.

Antonelli's championship lead grows to 59 points with Russell taking over second from Hamilton in the standings, while Norris reduces his deficit to the leader to 83 points.

The race at Zandvoort had appeared to be in Antonelli’s hands after he made two decisive moves. He passed Russell to take second on the off and then Norris for the lead when they resumed with a restart after a 40-minute stoppage to clear the track of the debris of Verstappen’s car.

On lap 54 Norris barrelled past the Italian with a bold, decisive move at turn one round the outside, as they were right on Hamilton. The Ferrari was then passed by both as Norris made hay and opened a lead he would not relinquish for a suitably grand finale to the last Dutch Grand Prix as the event leaves the calendar.

It is his second win in the Netherlands, the 13th of his career and his second in a row this season. Norris took victory here in 2024 but notably last year a DNF in the Netherlands marked the start of a remarkable comeback that would culminate in his first title. On this form he may yet believe a similar feat is on the cards.