No subsequent penalties
The drivers who ignored a race director’s instruction before the start all get away without penalty. Here is the verdict in the Hamilton case, representative of all affected drivers:
“Car 44 stopped before reaching Safety Car Line 1 and therefore did not reach the starting grid under its own power (according to point 24 of the race director’s competition notes).”
“However, since it was extremely tight at the end of the starting grid when the car reached the grid, the race stewards conclude that the driver acted appropriately and stopped the car at a safe place as close as possible to the starting grid.”
“Therefore, no penalty will be imposed.”
Read more F1 Sprint Zandvoort: Russell wins, Antonelli in 4th place at the finish
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Alpine: Point gives confidence
With the updates this weekend, Pierre Gasly finished P8 in the sprint. On Sky he explains: “It was a good race. […] With the work we are doing, it gives the whole team a decent confidence boost.”
“I feel more comfortable in the car, drive well, it suits my driving style better and has more potential. So there is still a lot to do and find, but overall that was a much-needed step that paid off,” says Gasly.
The sprint was therefore “very positive.”
Was this sprint really necessary?
Probably not. Rookie Arvid Lindblad explains: “I think we all knew that a sprint race in Zandvoort probably wouldn’t be the most exciting race.” And so it was.
Liam Lawson also reports: “The start went quite well and the first lap was also quite decent, but honestly everyone just stayed in their positions – it felt like we all stayed where we were.”
That was more or less the case – and it came a bit as expected. Ultimately, this race was a good example of why sprints are not really sensible at every track.
Hamilton plans rollback
At Ferrari, the car will also be rebuilt before qualifying – or rather rolled back in the case of Lewis Hamilton. “The car felt pretty good in the first practice,” he recalls.
“But then the small change in qualifying took the car in a completely different direction, which we then also took into the race,” he explains after P7.
“So I hope we can undo this change and return to a setup similar to the first practice,” says Hamilton.
Verstappen announces rebuild
The Dutchman explains on Sky: “The sprint was basically just about completing the laps and now making the necessary changes to the car. […] It was pretty clear that I couldn’t keep up in the first laps.”
“But when the tire wear set in, it went a bit better in my opinion. Compared to the top cars, I was probably a bit more competitive. So that was promising,” Verstappen emphasizes.
Nevertheless, some changes will be made for qualifying, he announces, and explains: “I hope that benefits the overall performance of the car. And then we’ll see if we can shorten the gap a bit.”
All good again with Hülkenberg?
The German had to retire from the sprint due to an engine problem – but then went out again at the very end. He explains to Sky: “I went out for one more lap at the end and it felt good and normal again.”
“So I assume everything is fine and working again,” says Hülkenberg. Because qualifying is already in less than three hours, and the car should of course be running again then.
Stella contradicts Norris
According to Norris, there was no problem with the tires. Team principal Andrea Stella sees it a bit differently. He explains on Sky: “Today in the sprint we saw that tire wear was high, especially on the rear axle.”
“That meant we couldn’t keep up the necessary pace to attack Russell, and at some point we noticed with Lando that we were at risk of being overtaken by Leclerc.”
“So we definitely have work to do regarding pace over several consecutive laps and reducing rear tire wear,” says the team principal.
Russell: Luckily rain only at the end
The rain started immediately at the end of the race. Winner George Russell therefore explains: “If there had been one more lap, the race might have ended very differently.”
“So I was glad the rain only started at that time,” says Russell, who otherwise reports: “I knew that if there were any overtaking maneuvers at all, they would only happen towards the end of the race.”
“That’s why I just wanted to save my tires a bit in the high-speed corners to have a bit more in reserve towards the end of the race,” he explains.
“I knew if Charles could manage to get past Lando at all, he would be fast. As soon as I saw Charles behind me, I pushed hard again, and we both pulled away,” says Russell.
Norris: It wasn’t the tires
The Brit was in P2 for a long time but was overtaken by Charles Leclerc in the second half of the sprint. He sums up: “Not a bad result, but not the best either.”
“It would have been nice to be a bit faster today, but Charles was just too fast,” says Norris, who clarifies that his tires did not fall off.
“I don’t think it was the tires, but simply that we lacked pace. We are not fast enough and still have a lot to do,” says the world champion.
“We are very good at high speeds, but the car simply doesn’t deliver the performance it needs in slow corners,” he explains.
“It’s still a good result. We have to be satisfied with the progress we’ve made. But we need more,” says Norris.
Read more Formula 1 Live Ticker: Multiple Investigations After the Sprint
Multiple investigations
A total of five drivers have already received an investigation before the sprint. Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas and returnee Tsunoda are said to have each violated a race director’s instruction on the way to the starting grid.
In addition, the already mentioned unsafe release of Bortoleto is being investigated. We do not expect any harsh penalties here, but of course we are keeping an eye on it.
Sprint overview
Report
Result
Championship standings
Photos: F1: Dutch Grand Prix (Zandvoort) 2026
Open session ticker now!
The drivers are on the grid and the sprint in Zandvoort starts in ten minutes. We are moving the action to our session ticker for now. So there is a short break here, after the finish line passage it will continue here as usual.
And if you want to know how to watch Formula 1 live this weekend, you can find out here!
Hamilton investigation
Now Hamilton has been caught too. He is said to have violated a race director’s instruction on the way to the starting grid. This will also be investigated after the sprint. The same applies to his old teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Investigation against Audi
Good start for Audi: A possible unsafe release of Bortoleto from the garage was noted. This will be investigated after the sprint. Apart from that, all drivers made it to the starting grid without problems.
Pit lane open
Everything goes a bit faster in the sprint. 30 minutes to the start and the pit lane now opens – but only for five minutes. During this time, the drivers must make their way to the starting grid.
Which tires the drivers will use in the sprint will be revealed as usual just before the start.
Mercedes or McLaren again?
The last six sprints in Formula 1 have all been won either by McLaren or the Mercedes factory team. Will this streak continue today? The chance is not bad, as George Russell and Lando Norris start from the front row.
Photo series: All winners of sprint races in Formula 1
Weather
About an hour to the start and we take a quick look at the sky again. The sun is now shining in Zandvoort and the track is of course dry.
Looks like a dry sprint.
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