Dutch Grand Prix 2025: Race Review

Welcome back to Outside The Box, putting fingertips to keyboard, and recommencing the translation of the 2025 season, after a well-deserved summer break.

Marking its penultimate venture in Formula One history, The Dutch Grand Prix took center stage at its usual coastal location of Zandvoort, which saw three key drivers beached. Crucially – with Lando Norris as one of its victims – Oscar Piastri now finds himself 34-points clear of the drivers’ championship title, after an exciting race filled with unfathomable twists and turns.

Key Moments

Despite topping all three practice sessions, Lando Norris could only retain silver position heading into the Dutch Grand Prix, struggling to convert his positive momentum when it truly counted.

The Dutch Grand Prix was therefore Oscar Piastri’s to lose, holding the lead comfortably at the start of the race, whilst reigning world champion Max Verstappen was able to glide ahead of Norris into P2 position, which only further added to the British drivers’ weekend woes.

During Lap 9, this position was reclaimed by Norris, undertaking a clinical overtaking move around the outside of Verstappen.

With whispers of a light coating of rain on the horizon, fans eagerly anticipated an action-packed Sunday race.

While the weather did little to aid this proposition, the excitement soon began to pour during Lap 23, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finding himself out of the race, brushing into the barriers, and triggering the release of a safety car.

Although this presented Norris with an opportunity to attack for pole position, the British driver was once again denied a chance at holding the race’s reigns, with Piastri able to coolly and confidently retain his race lead, following its restart during Lap 26.

Further afield, however, a nimble collision that saw Carlos Sainz gently brush the wheels of Liam Lawson, landed Williams with a 10-second time penalty.

While such penalties have credibility, on this occasion, I feel that the harsh punishment simply did not correspond to the gentle nature of the crime, with both drivers already having sacrificed their shot at points upon impact.

At best, this incident appeared to be worth little more than a 5-second time penalty.

This, once again, throws the rationale behind the FIA’s controversial decision-making into contention, with a similar contentious fate yielded to Piastri at the British Grand Prix, just a few races prior.

The excitement resumed during Lap 32, with Charles Leclerc committing to an eye-watering overtake on the Mercedes of George Russell in Turns 11 and 12, securing himself, and Ferrari, P5 position.

However – just under 20 laps later – Mercedes fought back, with rookie Kimi Antonelli mistakenly hitting into the side of Leclerc’s Ferrari, shortly after emerging on track at a similar trajectory, following the drivers’ respective pitstops.

This provoked a further safety car, and left Leclerc stranded on the side of the track, and subject to a media beach-themed photoshoot, which continued throughout the remainder of the race – speedos and Piña Colada sadly not included.

It was Lap 65 that was to truly make its mark on the Dutch Grand Prix, however, with Lando Norris suddenly encountering fumes in the cockpit.

This led to an early retirement, not only from the race itself, but perhaps also the race for drivers’ championship too, with 34-points now separating the two McLaren drivers.

Consequently, this ensured Max Verstappen finalised his home Grand Prix in P2 position and, surprisingly, gifted Racing Bulls’ rookie Isack Hadjar his first ever podium in Formula One, in P3 position.

Dutch Grand Prix 2025: Final Thoughts

In the aftermath of an action-packed Grand Prix, it was Isack Hadjar that emerged victorious, with a successful Qualifying session seeing the Frenchman enter the race in P4 position, and leave with his first podium position in the top-tier of the sport.

Considering the images of Anthony Hamilton consoling the Frenchman at the start of the season – after crashing into the barriers during the formation lap of the Australian Grand Prix – it is tremendous to see how Hadjar has developed in his racing ability, over the course of the last 15 Grands Prix.

This feat is even more impressive when considering it took experienced driver Nico Hulkenberg 15 seasons to gain his first podium within Formula One; an achievement now shared with 20-year-old Isack Hadjar.

Ignoring Kimi Antonelli’s miscalculation, with Haas’ rookie Oliver Bearman finishing in a career-best P6 position – despite starting the Dutch Grand Prix from the pit lane – it is evident that the class of 2025 are now starting to ‘come into their own’.

This leaves me excited for their forthcoming development over the next few seasons in Formula One.

Emerging less fortunate from the Dutch Grand Prix was Ferrari, with the poor series of circumstances, so often upheld by the constructors, continuing its reign, with both drivers finishing with DNF results and 0-points to their name/s.

Now just 12-points ahead of constructors’ championship rivals Mercedes, can the infamous Italian team produce a miracle during their home Grand Prix next weekend?

From one championship battle to another, the mechanical failure of Lando Norris’ McLaren reconsolidated a healthy lead for Australian teammate Oscar Piastri in their respective race for a first drivers’ championship.

Now 34-points ahead, Lando Norris can no longer afford to make simple mistakes, if he is still to be in with a chance of championship success. Having witnessed his current season’s performance, this feels unlikely, especially when compared to the composed nature of Piastri’s performances that will need to falter for Norris to triumph.

The question on everybody’s lips, is thus whether the Dutch Grand Prix has sealed the fate of Oscar Piastri as 2025 world champion, with 9 Grands Prix remaining.

The battle continues Sunday 7th September at Monza, for the Italian Grand Prix.