Lando Norris announced his presence as a genuine title contender at the Dutch Grand Prix, storming to victory by X seconds as Max Verstappen was left in the dust.
Almost all of the conversation heading into the Grand Prix revolved around Norris’ track record of converting pole positions, and for the sixth time in succession, the Brit ended the opening lap staring at the rear wing of one of his rivals.
With the home hero in charge, the pack settled down and for 12 laps Verstappen managed a lead of 1.5 seconds at the front of the field. However, as the first of the soft compound runners came in for their stops around lap 13, Norris started to turn the screw.
Verstappen’s Red Bull struggled to hang onto its medium compound tyres and on lap 18 the McLaren driver made his move. The reigning champion jolted to the right on the run down to Turn One, but Norris’ overspeed allowed him to cruise into the lead before slamming the door on the corner exit.
After hanging on with the aid of DRS for a handful of laps, Norris broke the chain and just nine laps after taking control of the race, he had built a lead of six seconds out front. When Verstappen pitted on lap 28, he was covering the undercut from George Russell rather than looking ahead to the leader.
There were no McLaren strategy dramas on this occasion and Norris emerged from the pit lane the following lap with a 5.6-second lead. This advantage was quickly stretched to double digits as the Bristol-born racer stamped his authority on the race.
By the time the chequered flag rolled around, the gap had widened to 20 seconds. Norris has arrived as a title contender, and Red Bull have serious work to do over the coming nine Grands Prix.
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc held off a charge from Oscar Piastri to seal the final spot on the podium following an impressive performance from sixth on the grid.
Behind Piastri in fourth was Carlos Sainz, while Sergio Perez claimed his best result in nine races in sixth. Then came the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton with Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso rounding out the top 10.
