Russell commands Zandvoort Sprint as Leclerc snatches second from Norris
Mercedes driver George Russell converted his pole position into a flawless victory during Saturday’s F1 Sprint at Zandvoort. The Briton fended off early pressure to secure his third Sprint win of the 2026 season while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc executed a brilliant late overtake on Lando Norris to snatch second place.
⚫️ LIGHTS OUT IN #F1SPRINT! ⚫️
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 22, 2026
Watch the race start 👀#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/tqMdUWJLyh
Russell got away cleanly from the line to hold his advantage over Norris and Leclerc. While Norris stayed within striking distance during the opening laps, the McLaren driver began to struggle with rear tyre grip as the 24-lap shootout progressed.
This allowed Russell to eke out a lead of over a second to break the slipstream tow. From there he expertly managed his pace at the front of the pack, securing eight crucial championship points without putting a foot wrong.
Leclerc gambles and delivers
While the vast majority of the field opted for used medium tyres, Leclerc was one of the few to gamble on the soft compound. The Ferrari driver stalked Norris for much of the race as the McLaren’s rear end began to fade. On Lap 18, the Monegasque driver used his grip advantage and a tow down the main straight to dive past Norris into Turn 1.
Norris was forced into a defensive mindset for the remainder of the Sprint to hold off the charging Kimi Antonelli, narrowly keeping the Mercedes rookie behind to claim third.
The final points scorers
Further down the order, home hero Max Verstappen had a quiet race to finish sixth in front of his adoring Dutch fans. Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly validated Alpine’s latest upgrade package by holding off Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto to claim the final points-paying position.
The top eight drivers claiming points in the Zandvoort Sprint were:
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
Reportedly, Verstappen, Hamilton, Tsunoda and Bottas are under investigation for not following instruction of the racing director.
