The reigning World Champion claimed what will, for now at least, be the final edition of the Dutch Grand Prix, writing his name into the closing chapter of the event’s history following its return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021.
Kimi Antonelli finished second, while his Mercedes team-mate George Russell completed the podium. The top ten finishers all followed different strategies, underlining the remarkable tactical variety on offer throughout the race.
In the opening stages, a red flag prompted several drivers to switch from their starting compound, with most having begun on Mediums and Softs. Norris, who started on Mediums, changed to Softs during the interruption before making two further pit stops, taking a set of Hards on each occasion.
Antonelli and Russell also started on Mediums, which they retained during the red flag period. Antonelli then made two pit stops for fresh sets of Hards before switching to a used set of Softs during a Virtual Safety Car phase. Russell followed a similar strategy, although he did not make his stop under the neutralisation.
Both Ferrari drivers chose to restart on Soft tyres, but the strategies of Lewis Hamilton (fourth) and Charles Leclerc (fifth) subsequently diverged. The Monegasque used all three available compounds, completing the race with stints on Medium, Hard and finally Soft. His team-mate, meanwhile, opted for a more straightforward approach, avoiding a final pit stop and contesting his third and fourth stints on Hard and Soft tyres respectively.
Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, secured two points by fitting a new set of Softs during the red flag before making just one further stop to switch to Hards. Thanks to this strategy, which allowed him to save a pit stop, he was able to finish the race in ninth place.
All three compounds were used during the race. Alonso completed the most laps on Softs, with a 32-lap stint. Arvid Lindblad covered 31 laps on Mediums, while Carlos Sainz completed 35 laps on Hards.
In the championship battle, Antonelli strengthened his lead, moving onto 242 points. Russell remains second on 183, while Lewis Hamilton is third, also on 183 points.
DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“The last race at Zandvoort proved full of twists and turns and highly unpredictable, particularly from a strategic perspective, with all three available compounds coming into play. The picture painted by the previous sessions ultimately proved inaccurate for the teams, forcing them to revise their approach to the Grand Prix in light of new variables and pushing them towards either two or three-stop strategies.
The weather played a significant role, with an unexpected rain shower before the start preventing the track from evolving as anticipated and altering the temperature profile, which was noticeably higher than during Saturday’s Sprint.
Tyre degradation, which had appeared relatively limited until the previous day, turned out to be significant, largely due to the increased wear caused by track conditions that had deteriorated and become particularly slippery following the rain.
After the stint following the restart, teams immediately realised that the conditions would not allow them to remain competitive with a one-stop strategy. Influenced by events on track as well, they therefore sought to identify the most effective tyre combinations for their drivers.
Following the first red flag, almost ten different strategies emerged, with notable variations even among the leading teams. For example, Lawson did not use the Hard compound, while McLaren opted not to fit the Medium again after the initial start. By contrast, other drivers, such as Leclerc, made use of all three available compounds.
As a result, we witnessed a highly engaging Grand Prix from a strategic standpoint, in which the teams were able to exploit the characteristics of each compound, all of which proved effective under specific conditions, identifying those best suited to maximising the strengths of their respective cars.
Particularly illustrative in this regard was the use of the Soft tyre by Antonelli and the two Ferrari drivers in the closing stages of the race, enabling them to make up ground on their direct rivals and, in the Italian’s case, even gain a position on his team-mate.”
