Max finishes second in Zandvoort: 'Very special to race here'

Published on 31 August 2025 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen finished second in the Dutch Grand Prix. At the Zandvoort circuit, Max spent the whole race behind the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, but after Norris retired late in the race, Max eventually claimed second place. Rookie Isack Hadjar came third, taking his first Formula 1 podium.

“It was not easy. I gave it everything at the start to move forward. I had a little moment in turn two, but after that we just had to run our own race. Unfortunately, we did not have the pace of the McLarens. We got a bit lucky with the retirement, but it is still a good result to be on the podium here. To finish second here is a strong achievement for us.” Max went into more detail about the moment in turn two: “I tried to send it into turn three, but unfortunately there was too much sand in turn two from the middle of the track to the outside. I knew that we had the softer compound, so I tried to make that work on the first lap.”

Despite finishing second, the reigning world champion was critical of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s pace: “In terms of speed it obviously was not good. I think it was purely down to qualifying that we ended up third in the race, because in terms of pace it just was not there. Throughout the whole race we were basically fighting with the sister team (Racing Bulls). That should not be happening.” He continued: “The car simply is not fast enough. I also have to save a lot in the fast corners, while everyone else is going much quicker through turns seven and eight, and I still do not have any grip. That just isn’t right. Of course, in qualifying it was better over one lap, but this car just is not good in the race this season.”

Max ran a different tyre strategy from most of the drivers during the race. He explained: “On Friday the hard tyre felt absolutely terrible to me. I had zero grip. Just no mechanical grip. Everyone else can run on it, except us. That means something is not right on our side. That is why we chose the softs and mediums. They provide a bit more mechanical grip in the corners, which is where we were really struggling.” Finally, Max addressed the Dutch crowd: “The whole weekend has been incredible. So much orange and so much support. It is always very special to race here and to be back on the podium,” said the world champion.

In an orange-clad Zandvoort, Formula 1 resumed after the summer break. The entire top ten started on the medium tyre, except for home hero Max Verstappen, who began from third on a fresh set of softs. The softer start paid off straight away. Max got away well and immediately placed his car alongside Lando Norris (McLaren) into Tarzan corner. They then went side by side into Hugenholtz corner. The world champion ran over the dirt, looked to lose control, but kept it out of the wall and even managed to snatch second place. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) made a good start from pole and held the lead. Alexander Albon (Williams) made the best start, gaining five places to come through tenth after the first lap. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) touched, leaving the Brazilian’s front wing damaged.

Max could not keep up with Piastri in the opening phase and had Norris breathing down his neck. By lap nine, Norris was within DRS range and took back second place. The McLaren was significantly faster than Max’s Oracle Red Bull Racing, quickly pulling a gap. After 18 of the 72 laps, the home favourite was already ten seconds adrift of Norris. Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Yuki Tsunoda battled Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) for several laps before pitting on lap twenty for hard tyres.

Most drivers stayed out longer, partly because of possible rain. Light drops fell on the track, some fans pulled on ponchos, and team bosses stretched their hands out to feel what the weather was doing, but the rain never really came. Charles Leclerc pitted on lap 23, but that call backfired. Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton then crashed, triggering a safety car and giving the rest of the field a cheaper pit stop. The entire top five came in, meaning at the restart Piastri led from Norris, Max, Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), and George Russell (Mercedes). Leclerc dropped to sixth.

At the lap 27 restart, everyone was on the hard tyre except Max, who again went for a different strategy on mediums. He pressured Norris immediately but could not pass. Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) collided at the restart, both picking up punctures and crawling back to the pits. Sainz received a ten-second penalty. A brief Virtual Safety Car followed due to debris on the main straight. Once racing resumed, Leclerc reacted fastest, pulling off a fine move at the Hans Ernst corner to take fifth. They touched lightly, damaging Russell’s car. Russell lost pace and swapped positions with teammate Kimi Antonelli on lap 41. By lap 50, Piastri led Norris by 1.7 seconds, with Max third, ten seconds further back. The medium tyre gamble had not paid off. Hadjar trailed 2.5 seconds behind the podium, with Leclerc and Antonelli rounding out the top six.

Antonelli pitted on lap 52, the first of the top six to stop again. Leclerc followed a lap later, rejoining just ahead of Antonelli. The young Italian tried to retake the place at Hugenholtz, but he clipped Leclerc, sending the Ferrari driver crashing out, Ferrari’s second retirement of the day. Antonelli was deemed at fault and handed a ten-second penalty. The safety car returned, and once again most drivers pitted. The McLarens switched to hards, while Max bolted on a used set of softs. Despite the aggressive tyre choice from the three-time Dutch GP winner, the battle for victory remained between the McLarens, with Max unable to keep up.

But the fight took a dramatic twist on lap 66. Out of nowhere, Norris suffered an oil leak and retired. With four laps to go, the safety car peeled back in. Piastri kept the lead and took the chequered flag. Max crossed the line 1.2 seconds behind the McLaren driver to finish second. Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar came home third, stepping onto the Formula 1 podium for the very first time in his career.

Results Grand Prix Netherlands: