Formula 1 racing is back after a month off, with the Dutch Grand Prix today (2 p.m. BST) through the sand dunes at Circuit Zandvoort.<\/p>\n
At the last race, the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, Lando Norris delivered his first of the 2026 season \u2013 McLaren\u2019s first win of the year as well. Norris finished 15.080 seconds ahead of Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen, with Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli taking third.<\/p>\n
That win was the 12th of Norris\u2019 career and sent everyone off for a break with Antonelli holding a 50-point lead in the driver standings.<\/p>\n
Today it\u2019s Norris again, who yesterday grabbed pole position in a tight final qualifying session, producing a late lap of 1:11.163 to edge Mercedes\u2019 George Russell by just 0.102 seconds. Kimi Antonelli qualified third, only 0.133 seconds off Norris, while Oscar Piastri put the second McLaren fourth.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc qualified fifth and sixth for Ferrari, while home favourite Max Verstappen struggled with the balance of his Red Bull and could manage only seventh.<\/p>\n
Today will be the last race at Zandvoort (72 laps of 4.3 km, for a total distance of 306 km), on the Dutch coast, before it\u2019s taken off the Formula 1 calendar. Piastri won here in 2025, for McLaren.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the Dutchman Verstappen, though, with Red Bull, who\u2019s the guy to watch here today. Verstappen won here three times in a row, 2021-23. He\u2019s been unhappy with his car all season, but you can\u2019t count him out of getting his first win of the season here today.<\/p>\n
Today’s forecast is sunny, with highs of 20 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n
Track position and strategy carry more weight at Zandvoort than simply being the fastest car. It\u2019s a track that\u2019s narrow, where overtaking is difficult.<\/p>\n
That puts Norris in the pole position in an even stronger position, if you\u2019re putting money down on the race today. Every winner since the race returned here in 2021 started from the pole.<\/p>\n