George Russell converted pole position into a commanding Sprint victory at Zandvoort, leading all 24 laps to take his third Saturday win of the 2026 FIA Formula One season.The Mercedes driver made a clean start to retain the lead from Lando Norris, before managing the race from the front and eventually taking the chequered flag 1.360 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc. Norris completed the podium for McLaren after resisting late pressure from championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Most of the leading runners opted for medium tyres, while Leclerc selected softs from third on the grid. Russell covered Norris into the opening corner, but Antonelli was immediately on the attack behind them, sweeping past Oscar Piastri to claim fourth place.
The Italian then closed onto the rear of Leclerc’s Ferrari, although opportunities to pass remained limited around the narrow seaside circuit. Verstappen, meanwhile, settled into sixth behind Piastri, with Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad completing the early top 10.
Russell had established a one-second advantage by Lap 3, but the leading five initially remained closely grouped as they looked after their tyres. Once the Mercedes driver increased his pace around Lap 10, his margin over Norris quickly grew beyond the one-second Overtake Mode threshold.
Norris soon reported that he was struggling with rear grip, allowing Leclerc to move within striking distance. The Ferrari driver remained close through the middle phase of the Sprint, while Antonelli waited just behind and Piastri continued to keep Verstappen at bay.
Leclerc finally made his move on Lap 18, using the run towards Tarzan to dive down the inside of Norris and secure second place. He quickly eased away from the McLaren, leaving Norris exposed to a determined Antonelli over the closing laps.
Despite running within a second, Antonelli could not create a passing opportunity and crossed the line only 0.385s behind Norris. Russell remained untroubled ahead, winning in 30m25.318s just as light rain began to arrive.
Leclerc’s runner-up finish delivered his third Sprint podium of the campaign, with Norris taking third and Antonelli fourth. Piastri finished 10.185s behind the winner in fifth, just 0.344s ahead of home favourite Verstappen.
Hamilton claimed seventh in the second Ferrari, while Gasly secured the final point for Alpine in eighth. Bortoleto narrowly missed out in ninth for Audi, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Lindblad and Red Bull stand-in Liam Lawson.
Franco Colapinto took 12th ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman. Alex Albon led Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas, with Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez completing the classified runners.
Further back, Sainz received a warning for being out of position at the Safety Car line at the start, while Pérez joined late as Cadillac gathered valuable data during the 24-lap contest.
Nico Hülkenberg suffered the Sprint’s only retirement after bringing his Audi into the pits with a power problem. Although he later returned to the circuit, he completed only seven laps and was not classified.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix – Sprint
1 George Russell Mercedes 24 30'25.318
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 24 30'26.678 1.360
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 24 30'30.514 5.196
4 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 24 30'30.899 5.581
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 24 30'35.503 10.185
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 24 30'35.847 10.529
7 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 24 30'37.506 12.188
8 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 24 31'07.828 42.510
9 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 24 31'09.755 44.437
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 24 31'10.289 44.971
11 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 24 31'12.789 47.471
12 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 24 31'19.784 54.466
13 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 24 31'21.801 56.483
14 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 24 31'31.416 1'06.098
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 24 31'31.906 1'06.588
16 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 24 31'39.950 1'14.632
17 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 24 31'39.968 1'14.650
18 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 24 31'40.602 1'15.284
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 23 30'29.227 1 lap /3.909
20 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 23 31'03.041 1 lap /37.723
21 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 21 31'27.795 3 laps /1'02.477
Nico Hülkenberg Audi 7 30'43.640 Not classified
