The 2024 Formula One season returned this weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort near the Netherlands' North Sea coast.
Max Verstappen went into this weekend with a 78-point lead at the top of the drivers' standings despite finishing fourth at the Belgian Grand Prix prior to the month-long break.
Lando Norris has emerged as the reigning world champion's closest rival this season and took pole position in qualifying ahead of Verstappen for today's race, suggesting McLaren had the pace to challenge Red Bull at the Dutchman's home race.
Lewis Hamilton, who took victory at Spa-Francorchamps last time out, had been hoping for a repeat performance but was forced to start in 14th on the grid after a difficult qualifying session and a three-place grid penalty.
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Who won the F1 Dutch Grand Prix?
Lando Norris won the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix after a dominant drive for McLaren, despite surrendering P1 into the first corner.
The British driver was a little sluggish at lights out and Verstappen took the lead before Turn 1, while Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri also dropped a place.
However, Norris regained first place on lap 18 at the same corner, leaving Verstappen for dead down the straight before emerging first through the turn. From then on, he built up a remarkable lead that exceeded 22 seconds by the end of the race as he took just his second career grand prix victory. He even managed to set the fastest lap right at the death.
Yet Verstappen, despite the disappointment of failing to win his home race, will be content enough with second. Having struggled for pace and grip throughout, his championship lead remains very strong with nine races remaining.
George Russell attempted to make it a three-horse race for the chequered flag, but it soon became clear that his Mercedes car lacked the race pace to sustain a battle with the top two. In the end, Russell dropped to P7 after a bit of a botched pit-stop strategy that allowed Sergio Perez to finish in the top six.
Charles Leclerc took the final podium place ahead of Piastri, with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in fifth. Hamilton took eighth ahead of Pierre Gasly, while Alonso rounded out the points-getters.
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F1 Dutch Grand Prix: Driver of the day
Norris delivered an imperious drive despite the setback of losing the lead at the first corner. He kept his composure and waited for the critical moment to take P1 back from Verstappen before cruising to the biggest winning margin of the season. He even grabbed the bonus point for the fastest lap as he crossed the line for the final time.
F1 Dutch Grand Prix: Race results, standings
| Driver |
| 1. | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 11. | Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) |
| 2. | Max Verstappen (Red Bull) | 12. | Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) |
| 3. | Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 13. | Daniel Ricciardo (RB) |
| 4. | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 14. | Esteban Ocon (Alpine) |
| 5. | Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) | 15. | Alexander Albon (Williams) |
| 6. | Sergio Perez (Red Bull) | 16. | Logan Sargeant (Williams) |
| 7. | George Russell (Mercedes) | 17. | Yuki Tsunoda (RB) |
| 8. | Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) | 18. | Kevin Magnussen (Haas) |
| 9. | Pierre Gasly (Alpine) | 19. | Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) |
| 10. | Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) | 20. | Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber) |
F1 grid, qualifying times for Dutch Grand Prix
| Position | Driver | Team | Qual. time |
|---|
| 1. | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:09:673 |
| 2. | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:10:029 |
| 3. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:10:172 |
| 4. | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:10:244 |
| 5. | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:10:416 |
| 6. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:10:582 |
| 7. | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:10:633 |
| 8. | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:10:857 |
| 9. | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:10:977 |
| 10. | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:10:914 |
| 11. | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 1:10:955 |
| 12. | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 1:11:215 |
| 13. | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | 1:11:943 |
| 14. | Lewis Hamilton* | Mercedes | 1:10:948 |
| 15. | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:11:995 |
| 16. | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber | 1:12:168 |
| 17. | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber | 1:13:261 |
| 18. | Logan Sargeant** | Williams | No time |
| 19. | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:10:653 |
| 20. | Kevin Magnussen**** | Haas | 1:11:295 |
*Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Sergio Perez
**Sargeant missed qualifying after a crash in FP3
***Albon qualified eighth but was disqualified due to car technical infringement
****Magnussen qualified 13th but starts from pit lane due to power unit change
F1 Drivers' World Championship 2024 updated standings, points
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 295 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 225 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 192 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 179 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 172 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 154 |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 139 |
| 8 | George Russell | Mercedes | 122 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 50 |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 24 |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 22 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 22 |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | 12 |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 8 |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | Ferrari | 6 |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 5 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 5 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 4 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber | 0 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber | 0 |
| 21 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 0 |
F1 Constructors' Championship 2024 updated standings, points
| Position | Team | Points |
| 1 | Red Bull | 434 |
| 2 | McLaren | 404 |
| 3 | Ferrari | 370 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 276 |
| 5 | Aston Martin | 74 |
| 6 | RB | 34 |
| 7 | Haas | 27 |
| 8 | Alpine | 13 |
| 9 | Williams | 4 |
| 10 | Kick Sauber | 0 |
F1 live stream, TV channel: How to watch races in 2024
| Country | TV channel | Live stream |
| USA | — | FUBO , F1TV |
| Canada | TSN (English); RDS (French) | TSN Direct |
| UK | Sky Sports F1 | SkyGo, NOW TV |
| Australia | Fox Sports | Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports |
| India | — | F1 TV Pro |
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