F1. Netherlands 2026 Review

Aiden: Liam Lawson has come a long way since being dropped by Red Bull last year. He’s rebuilt his career and been a consistent point winner for Racing Bulls in 2026. So when the call came for him to replace Isack Hadjar in Zandvoort, he will have seen an opportunity to show that he was dropped by Christian Horner way too early. At the weekend, he took that chance. Stepping into a new car at short notice is hard; very hard. Even when it’s a related team, and a team you’ve driven for before, you are up against in, and with his performance in qualifying and then a seventh place finish in the main race, Lawson really came to the party and showed his growing maturity as an F1 driver.

Graeme: I’m going to via away from the obvious and go with Liam Lawson this week.  After being handed the poisoned chalice, which is the second Red Bull seat, for the weekend it could’ve gone either way for Lawson.  It was the first time he’d stepped into the car since being dumped after 2 races last year, but the young Kiwi eased his way into things and cruised along behind the big 6 to finish 7th in an uneventful race for him.  He had a lot to lose this weekend, so this performance would’ve caught the eye of those high up in the Red Bull family.

Chelsea: It feels like 12 years ago that Lando Norris was creeping up on Oscar Piastri to swipe the driver’s championship, when in reality it was only 12 months. In Zandvoort, after taking pole, Norris was duped by Kimi Antonelli on a the early restart and sat in second for much of the race. Careful tyre management and genuinely stellar driving led Norris to take the lead and ultimately victory. McLaren brought upgrades into Zandvoort – most notably a new rear wing – but to credit those with Norris’ stellar race performance would be doing him a disservice. The boy is back… maybe.

Gavin: Lando Norris claimed pole beating the Mercedes team of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell but lost that lead on the race restart. However, he stayed in the hunt and with a fresh set of tyres overtook Kimi to take the lead and build a 11 second gap by the end of the race where he took victory. So that is back to back victories for the current world champion and this will be making Kimi and George a bit nervous right now.

Special mention to Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda who stepped up and in and delivered great performances for Red Bull and Racing Bulls respectively. Well done.

Talking Point

Scott:It’s a shame that his was Zandvoort’s last Grand Prix for the foreseeable future at least. It’s a gem of a circuit tucked away in the dunes next to the North Sea and where the weather can be unpredictable, and it’ll depart with tough memories for the Oranje Army with Max Verstappen’s first-lap crash.

Aiden: Can Lando come back at Mercedes in the second half of the season? After his win in the Netherlands, the defending world champion is now 83 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. This time last year, Max Verstappen was 104 points off top spot, and while he didn’t quite get there (he was only two points behind Lando Norris in the end) he made the McLaren drivers very nervous.

Graeme: It’s about time we had a good fun race.  There always seemed to be a lot happening.  Straight away Max Verstappen sent the crowd into disbelief when he crashed his Red Bull.  There were some good duels throughout the field too.  It felt appropriate that Lando Norris won.  He drove a good race and then had great pace to come back and overtake Hamilton and Antonelli to win easily.  And poor old Williams did the unthinkable and crashed into each other.  Not ideal for them after what’s been a horror year.

Chelsea: The Sky F1 feed was showing a wide shot of the approaching drivers on the first lap when a burgeoning cloud of dust and debris appeared in the background. Never a good sign – that dust and debris came from Max Verstappen whomping solidly into the Luyendyk bank after misjudging the level of moisture on the track. Other drivers, particularly Nico Hulkenberg, played some remarkable dodgem moves to avoid the mess. Verstappen wasn’t the only DNF – across the race we also lost Bearman, Stroll, Ocon, Bottas and Albon – but circumstances and stars ultimately aligned to give Fernando Alonso 9th place and a chonky two points for Aston Martin. They’re on their way, baby!

Gavin: Charles Leclerc defied teams order that Lewis Hamilton says cost them a podium. The first part of that statement is true, the second part is pure guesswork. Nonetheless Ferrari would have had an interesting race debrief. Their drivers seem to get on okay so I don’t think it will boil over but this is something team principal will need to keep on top of especially as Ferrari are actually being competitive and getting strategies right more often than not. Who would be a Ferrari fan huh?

Gossip Time

Scott:Verstappen killed the silly season chat, reupping with Red Bull and putting an end to all the McLaren/Mercedes/World Endurance Championship rumours. With the biggest piece off the table, the grid for 2027 might be as stable as it has been for many years.

Aiden: Esteban Ocon’s days in the Haas look numbered with reports that the Ferrari Driver Academy’s Brazilian youngster Rafael Camara is testing the Haas this week, alongside a couple of drivers including Ollie Bearman. Ocon looks to be one of those drivers littered through F1’s history that never quite made the most of his talent, and now Haas look to have lost patience with the Frenchman.

Graeme: I said last time that silly season is now upon us.  What a dud season that turned out to be.  Verstappen stayed at Red Bull, Sainz and Albon stayed at Williams and not much else happened.  Also, it appears that I’m not the only one with no time for Lance Stroll.  He retired from the race, who knows when, and it didn’t even rate a mention from the commentators.  His invisibility was in full force on Sunday at Zandvoort.  All while his teammate, Fernando Alonso, had Aston Martins best drive of the season to finish 9th.

Chelsea: Lewis Hamilton wasn’t best pleased to be back from his summer break, judging by the snapping he dealt to his team when they (once again) dithered over a strategy decision. It seems two steps forward, one step back for Hamilton’s tenure at Ferrari. Meanwhile, both Liam Lawson and teeny weeny super sub Yuki Tsunoda will be pleased with their performances in unfamiliar cars. Many have said Lawson has banished the demons of his two-race stint with Red Bull last year, but I feel that’s long resolved after solid performances with the RBs this year.

Gavin: So Max Verstappen stays with Red Bull, and in F1, until 2030. George Russell will be happy to hear that I am sure. A pity it was announced on the week of the last Dutch Grand Prix which delivered some great racing and passing this year. I don’t know about you but every time I see Zandvoort I think I am watching a race from the 1980s – I think it might be the colours due to the dunes washing everything out but it catches me out every year.

Looking Ahead

Scott:Italy and Monza is next up, where history could be made. Nepo-racing legend Lance Stroll shoots for his 100th Q1 exit; a fitting sort of record for the sports (deservedly) most-lampooned driver since Crash God Pastor Maldonado took his leave. 

Aiden: After a week off, it’s back-to-back race weekends, in Italy, followed by Spain. Can the passionate supporters get a Ferrari win at Monza? Can their countryman Antonelli get the job done? Exciting times lie in store.

Graeme: Another week off, really?  There’s still a lot to play for coming into the back half of the season.  All titles are up for grabs.  With Lando Norris having now won consecutive races, both Ferraris being mostly consistent and George Russell not going away, Kimi Antonelli won’t be sleeping too comfortably just yet.  Ferrari will be strong at Monza, Madrid will be unknown, and then we hit Asia and the Americas.  It’s something like 12 races in 16 weeks, bring it on!

Chelsea: Young Kimi Antonelli takes an engine penalty into his home race of Monza, but with the locals be bothered? It’s all about Forza Ferrari in Monza, and it would be a beautiful thing to see a sea of red beneath the season’s best podium. Monza last year fell in the midst of Max Verstappen’s comeback streak, and he will be keen to get back on track, literally and figuratively. Then there’s the aforementioned Lando Norris… there’ll be plenty to watch for at the Temple of Speed.

Gavin: Italy up next and a track that looks like it will suit Ferrari and McLaren and not Mercedes. Will Lando continue his with his winning ways and put even more pressure on Kimi who will be taking a grid penalty for a power unit change?

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