Amsterdam: McLaren’s Lando Norris fought back to take a dominant victory in the Dutch Grand Prix despite losing the lead to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull at the start.
Norris, for whom starts and first laps have been a weakness in recent races, was passed almost immediately when he had too much wheel spin off the line.
But such was the pace in his McLaren that he re-passed Verstappen on lap 18, before the pit stops, and romped away into the distance.
Charles Leclerc took the final podium position, belying his pre-race pessimism, fending off the McLaren of Oscar Piastri for the final 27 laps.
Verstappen appeared to sense the way the race was going even while he was still leading.
The Dutchman, who has monopolised this event since it returned to the calendar in 2021, was complaining about a lack of grip from very early in the race.
His defence of the lead when Norris caught him was half-hearted, especially in the context of his normally ultra-robust defensive tactics, and the McLaren swept into the lead down the inside line at the first corner, Tarzan.
Once in front, Norris pulled away at about half a second a lap and there was nothing Verstappen could do to prevent losing his home race for the first time since its return after a 36-year absence.
Norris was in total control once in front and crossed the line 22.8 seconds ahead of Verstappen for one of the most dominant wins of the season.
He rubbed in his crushing form by setting the fastest lap on the final tour, taking it away from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by just 0.067secs.
