Lando Norris wins Dutch GP to ignite F1 title charge as Hamilton misses out on podium after horror Verstappen crash

LANDO NORRIS roared “the fight is still on” as he pipped the Mercedes favourites to win a chaotic Dutch Grand Prix. The final race in Zandvoort saw a huge crash for home favourite Max Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton was livid with his team and Charles Leclerc for “wasting time”. Lando Norris won the Dutch GP from pole to make it back to back victories Credit: AP Max Verstappen crashed out of his home race on the opening lap Credit: EPA Norris had joked on Saturday that he has the “biggest balls” after beating Kimi Antonelli and George Russell to pole position in qualifying. And he put his money where his mouth is to show he’s not going to give over his world championship crown without a fight. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Antonelli came in second and Russell had to settle for third, meaning the Italian youngster is 59 points ahead of his team-mate and Hamilton in the standings. Meanwhile, Norris has moved up into fourth in the standings, 83 points adrift of Antonelli. Norris said after the race: “Gorgeous! Well executed. Good strategy. It won me the race today. “Let’s keep pushing! It’s not easy. Thanks for the hard work. “Let’s keep bringing upgrades. Let’s keep bringing performance. The fight is still on. Let’s keep going.” Pole-sitter Norris enjoyed a brilliant start while Antonelli leapt past Russell who got away slowly and had to cover Piastri. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK The best travel deals for F1 NOTHING comes close to the thrill of a live Grand Prix – and YOU can be there to see it all. Get the full F1 experience with these unbeatable deals. 🇳🇱 HOLLAND – 20 to 25 Aug – From £1,089pp 🇮🇹 ITALY – 3 to 8 Sept – From £789pp 🇦🇿 AZERBAIJAN – 22 to 27 Sept – From £1,399pp 🇸🇬 SINGAPORE– 7 to 14 Oct – From £1,999pp 🇺🇸 AUSTIN, USA – 21 to 26 Oct – From £2,799pp 🇶🇦 QATAR – 27 to 29 Nov – From £1,049pp 🇦🇪 ABU DHABI – 4 to 6 Dec – From £2,049pp See ALL our F1 travel offers HERE *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. The first lap hadn’t even finished as drama erupted with Verstappen losing control of his Red Bull and smashing into the wall on the final turn. The crunchy moment sent a tyre flying into the air as pieces of the shattered Red Bull flew onto the track. Thankfully the Dutchman said “I’m ok” on the team radio as he walked away from the incident unhurt, as the red flag came out. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto also spun at the same turn after sliding on the wet track and was out of the race. Verstappen suffered a terrifying crash on the opening lap that saw him smash into the wall Credit: Reuters Verstappen’s car was left in ruin following the crash, but he was able to walk away unharmed Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The drivers were allowed to change their tyres under red flag conditions and there were plenty of changes before Norris led the charge back on track. The circus continued as the start had to be aborted after Ollie Bearman stooped in the middle of the sector. Once the third start had finally got underway Antonelli wriggled past Norris while Oscar Piastri zipped past Russell. After a string of pit-stops the pack reshuffled and Norris was hunting down championship leader Antonelli and came within overtake mode. Zandvoort was awash with the colour orange, though it was Papaya and not Max who stood on top of the podium Credit: Getty George Russell was able to hold Lewis Hamilton behind him to take P3 despite being on older tyres Credit: Getty Meanwhile, Ferrari were descending into chaos as Hamilton was urging his team to let him past Leclerc. Hamilton said on the team radio: “I’m quicker than Charles. “Tyres are better.” He then snapped: “We’re just losing time!” as his Monegasque team-mate refused to come into the pits. Leclerc finally gave in and Hamilton aimed one last dig, saying: “Great time wasting time guys, good job.” Norris came into the pits on lap 48 and was then flying on his new hard tyres. Four laps later the McLaren driver even posted a new fastest lap of the race, a staggering 1.5s faster than Antonelli’s time. Norris was all over Antonelli and on lap 42 he overtook the young Italian before dispatching Hamilton, who was struggling on much older tyres. Norris roared the title was ‘still on’ after landing his 13th F1 career McLaren race win Credit: AP But he still has a way to go to catch leader Antonelli, who finished P2 Credit: Getty A virtual safety car came out as Esteban Ocon stopped on track, handing Antonelli, Hamilton and Leclerc a cheap pit stop. Russell was then ordered to swap places with his team-mate which was not good for his championship hopes. The Kings-Lynn-born driver was arguing that the team could lose a double podium with Ferrari on the charge. It didn’t matter though as Norris flew off into the distance, leaving the rest for dust, finishing over 10 seconds clear. Comment now