Polesitter Lando Norris captured his second career win in the Dutch Grand Prix, besting home-country favorite Max Verstappen by 22 seconds Sunday.
Verstappen overtook Norris after the latter’s rough start to take an early lead at Circuit Zandvoort, but Norris regained the top position on lap 18, eventually cruising to victory for McLaren.
Red Bull’s Verstappen was looking for his fourth consecutive win at the Dutch Grand Prix.
“I wouldn’t say a perfect race because of Lap 1 again, but afterwards the pace was very strong, the car was unbelievable today,” Norris, a 24-year-old Brit, said. “I could get comfortable, I could push and get past Max which was the main thing and just go from there. Honestly quite a straightforward race, still tough but very enjoyable.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third.
Despite the slow start, Norris said he was confident of the win as the race progressed.
“From quite early on actually, probably Lap 5, 6, 7,” Norris said of when he knew he could triumph. “I expected Max to start pushing and get a bit of a gap but he never did, so from that point I knew we were in with a good fight.”
The McLaren win narrowed the gap in both the drivers and constructor standings.
The 26-year-old Verstappen, a three-time world champion and 61-time race winner, now stands 70 points ahead of Norris. In the constructor standings, Red Bull is 30 points in front of McLaren with nine events left on the season.
–Field Level Media
