Oscar Piastri delivered a faultless drive to win the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on Sunday (August 31), extending his championship lead to 34 points after a dramatic race filled with crashes, safety cars, and late heartbreaks.

Starting from pole, the Australian controlled proceedings despite multiple interruptions, including two safety car deployments triggered by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Hamilton crashed out on lap 23 after sliding into the barriers in wet conditions, while Leclerc was eliminated later in a collision with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli. The double DNF capped a miserable weekend for Ferrari, compounded post-race when Hamilton was handed a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming Italian Grand Prix due to yellow flag infringements before the start.

McLaren endured mixed fortunes as Lando Norris ran strongly in second before a late mechanical failure forced him to retire, denying the team a double podium. Max Verstappen kept the home fans entertained with an aggressive charge but ultimately finished second behind Piastri.

The biggest surprise came from Racing Bulls’ 20-year-old rookie Isack Hadjar, who capitalised on the chaos to claim his first Formula One podium, finishing third and becoming the fifth youngest podium finisher in the sport’s history.