Papaya Orange Crush sends others scampering

The Dutch Grand Prix weekend turned Zandvoort into a spectacular sea of orange, with thousands of fans flocking to the beachside circuit hoping to witness one final Verstappen victory at the historic venue. The winner wore orange, all right. Just not the orange they came to see. At the end of the opening lap, Verstappen lost control on the damp inside edge of Zandvoort’s steeply banked final corner. With part of his car still on the slippery painted line, the Red Bull snapped sideways under acceleration and slammed heavily into the outside barrier.

The car rebounded towards the circuit, but the chasing field somehow avoided it. Verstappen emerged unhurt, although his home Grand Prix was over, and the race was immediately red-flagged. The race resumed with a standing start on Lap 5, and Kimi Antonelli made the perfect getaway. The Mercedes star swept down the inside of Norris at Tarzan to snatch the lead, while Piastri passed Russell at Turn 7 to claim third. Russell dropped to fourth, followed by the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton, with Lawson seventh as Red Bull’s sole remaining contender.

Russell triggered the opening stops, while a slow service dropped Piastri behind the Mercedes. Antonelli and Norris switched to hard tyres, leaving Hamilton briefly in the lead before the order settled again. Mercedes struck first in the second round, bringing Antonelli in early while Norris stayed out to build a tyre advantage. Ferrari, meanwhile, tied itself in knots. Leclerc missed his call, Hamilton questioned why he remained behind, and neither driver was given complete freedom to attack.

Norris eventually emerged behind Antonelli, but on much fresher rubber. He rapidly hunted down the Mercedes, swept around the outside and then pounced when Hamilton ran wide to seize the lead. Once ahead, the papaya car disappeared. A late Virtual Safety Car handed Antonelli fresh soft tyres and one final chance. Mercedes moved Russell aside, but Kimi’s hopes faded with his rubber. Norris controlled the final restart and romped home ahead of Antonelli, with Russell resisting Hamilton for the final podium place.

Norris now has two victories in succession and championship momentum. Next comes Monza. Verstappen dominated there last year, beating both McLarens as Ferrari missed the podium. Max wants redemption. Norris wants the hat-trick. And the tifosi expect nothing less than red-blooded resistance!

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Round 13 | Monza | Sunday, 6th September 18:30 | F1TV & FanCode App

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