The Dutch Grand Prix began with polesitter Norris losing out at the start, allowing Verstappen to lead into turn 1. Norris, however, had stronger pace from the opening stint and passed Verstappen on lap 18 to retake the lead. Through the middle phase he managed the tyres and steadily extended the gap, leaving Verstappen unable to respond. Behind them, Leclerc moved into podium contention and held off Piastri, while Sainz recovered from tenth to fifth. Norris made no major mistake in the closing laps, set the fastest lap and won by more than 22 seconds from Verstappen. Leclerc finished third, and the result underlined McLaren's second-half-season pace.