Dutch GP driver ratings: Norris delivers again as Verstappen makes rare costly error

Lando Norris made it two wins from two as he impressed in Zandvoort while Max Verstappen had a rare early exit.

A lap one crash brought an end to the Dutchman’s home grand prix but he was not the only driver to be back in the garage before the chequered flag. Here are your driver ratings.

Driver ratings for the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix

Lando Norris – 9.5

Norris admitted in the press conference that McLaren’s race pace was not enough alone to win and so this victory came through patience as much as it did pace.

After losing P1 to Antonelli following the restarted race, Norris kept within a second of the Mercedes man and was eventually able to capitalise on some late-race tactical choices.

His charge came late on, picking off Antonelli and then Hamilton to move into the lead and once he did get ahead, he built the biggest gap the race had seen from its leader.

Kimi Antonelli – 8.5

Antonelli was excellent at the start to get past Norris but his failure to win this race was Mercedes’ as much as his.

McLaren executed the perfect strategy to get Norris on fresher tyres at the business end of the race and Antonelli perhaps lacked the racecraft to offset that imbalance.

He was eventually let past Russell even when it never looked like he was going to catch Norris.

George Russell – 8

After having a poor opening lap, Russell produced that Russell habit of somehow being up in the podium spots come the important part of the race.

This time it came via a different strategy and even if it left him vulnerable late on to the Ferraris, he held on for the final podium spot.

Lewis Hamilton – 8

Could Hamilton have caught Russell if Ferrari had let him by earlier? Maybe but that is a question left to what if now.

It was a good drive from Hamilton with both Ferraris coming alive towards the end but his comment that the tyres were feeling good may have been his own undoing.

Charles Leclerc – 8

Leclerc will be sorry to see Turn 1 at Zandvoort go, for he showed this weekend it was one of his favourite ways of getting past his rivals.

He did Norris there in the Sprint and then Russell in the Grand Prix but a slow pit stop and then hesitance to pit him late on saw him drop down the order.

Oscar Piastri – 7.5

There is a conception that Leclerc is the unluckiest driver in F1 but Piastri could give him a run for his money. Yet again, McLaren let him down with a slow pit stop that not only cost him a chance at a podium but made him vulnerable to the quick Ferraris behind.

As a driver, Piastri did as much as he could but back-to-back hard stints, the first of which was very short, meant he was always defending rather than attacking.

Liam Lawson – 7.5

Certainly not a bad return to the Red Bull seat for the Kiwi who finished in the best of the rest spot.

He ran with Verstappen early on, but picked up a 10-second penalty late on for failing to slow for a single yellow flag.

Nico Hulkenberg – 8.5

Another impressive Hulkenberg drive as he moved from 13th up into eighth.

His race would have ended in the opening lap had he not produced some incredible reactions to swerve and avoid sideways teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. From there, he moved up the pack and made the most of the penalties being dished out around him.

Fernando Alonso – 9

If you want a man to drag a car into the points, there are few better than Fernando Alonso.

The Aston has improved since the start of the season but having it as the eighth best car on the grid would not be an accurate measurement. Instead, the two-time world champion got it there through preserving his tyres and defending masterfully.

It’s Aston’s best result of the season and just their second points score of the campaign.

Pierre Gasly – 8

Gasly was the only Alpine given the upgrades this weekend and he proved it was a worthwhile decision as he came home in the points.

It was a tough race for the Frenchman who was involved in a four-car battle at one point but he did manage to get past both Racing Bulls and the penalised Bortoleto to finish P10.

Yuki Tsunoda – 7.5

A solid race for a man who was heading to Greece just a few days ago.

He qualified well to reach P12 and he improved on that by one spot in the race itself. Crucially he finished ahead of Lindblad too who, while being a rookie, has far more experience in this generation of cars.

Arvid Lindblad – 5.5

Its an end to a six-race point scoring run for Lindblad.

That primarily came due to a drive-through penalty inflicted on him after he overtook Gasly under double yellows. Mitigating circumstances prevented it from being a more severe penalty but it still cost the Racing Bulls driver a good chunk of time.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 6

There were some incredible moments of fortune for Bortoleto early on.

First of all, he somehow managed to avoid the wall after completing a full spin in the final corner and then his teammate was inches away from T-boning him. After Bortoleto breathed a sigh of relief, he was rewarded by the grid being reset to the end of lap 1.

That’s where his luck ran out as he said he was struggling with a “few things” even before the race began.

That meant he lacked the pace of his teammate and finished outside of the points.

Franco Colapinto – 5

Like Bortoleto, Colapinto also overtook under double yellows as he passed Yuki Tsunoda.

His was always an uphill task given Gasly was the one with the upgrades but he did little to suggest the team had made the wrong choice.

Sergio Perez – 5

It’s got to the point where you can say at least the brakes didn’t set on fire.

Perez started from the pit lane and made it to 15th but only due to other drivers retiring and the slow Sainz behind him.

Carlos Sainz – 4

Another race, another mindless crash for Sainz.

After taking out a potential race winner last time round, Sainz this time shoved his own teammate off the track and out of the race all for the honour of deciding who finished 16th. He picked up a 10-second penalty for his troubles.

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the debrief room when that incident was discussed.

More reaction to the Dutch GP on PlanetF1.com

Lewis Hamilton points to Mercedes example after Ferrari strategy frustration

Max Verstappen reacts to major crash during Dutch Grand Prix

Alex Albon – 5

He was the better performing of the two Williams this weekend but that is not saying much given the current state of the car.

Late on, Sainz shoved him off track and sent him out of the race.

Valtteri Bottas – 5

Another Cadillac issue after Bottas was forced to retire.

Esteban Ocon – 5

Ocon sealed the double DNF for Haas when his car gave out in Lap 56.

He was in P15 at the time so not looking likely to trouble the points.

Lance Stroll – 5

Aston say Stroll suffered from a handling issue which they suspect was caused by damage but the Canadian was never in a similar position to his teammate.

Oliver Bearman – 4.5

Bearman’s car went kaput shortly after the race restarted in the opening stages.

Before that he could only manage P20 on the grid as Haas’ problems continue.

Max Verstappen – 5

Max Verstappen has had plenty of perfect moments at his home grand prix but his goodbye to it was far from it.

After a scrappy start that saw him take a chunk of Lewis Hamilton’s car and then battle with his stand-in teammate Lawson, his race came to a premature end when he attempted to go down the inside of the final corner but fell victim to the wet track conditions.

A rare error from a driver who is usually so comfortable in those situations.

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