(Motorsport-Total.com) – For 54 of the 72 laps at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, it looked like Kimi Antonelli would secure his seventh win of the 2026 Formula 1 season. But in the end, it was not Mercedes but McLaren driver Lando Norris who prevailed – his second consecutive victory after triumphing in Hungary before the summer break.
Read more Who slept best last night: Liam Lawson
Mercedes dictated the F1 sprint in Zandvoort (with George Russell), and given the expectation that McLaren would degrade their tires faster on paper, hardly anyone would have expected Norris at mid-race on Sunday afternoon. But the latest McLaren updates seem to be working, and Zandvoort might be an indicator that last year’s world champion team can regain its former strength, at least on more twisty track profiles.
Antonelli now fears from Mercedes’ perspective: “We clearly no longer have the fastest car on the grid. We are probably only second or third,” he says – and adds an important sentence in this context: “At least in this race.”
Is Mercedes really no longer number 1?
There is little doubt in the Formula 1 paddock that Mercedes has the best overall package on average over the entire season. But Budapest and Zandvoort have proven that not every Grand Prix has to be a walkover for the “Silver Arrows”.
“McLaren,” says Antonelli, “has made a huge step. Especially since the upgrade package they brought to Hungary.” And Russell adds: “Tracks with high tire wear suit McLaren, and especially Lando. He is a specialist for such conditions. It was the same last year. Monza could be a different story. But I think they are currently the team to beat.”
Norris does not take such statements too seriously. In his assessment, Mercedes is trying to manage expectations and shift the pressure towards McLaren: “They can hardly say about themselves that they are the team to beat, right? If they were beaten today, then logically they are the team to beat. So that’s not true.”
The reigning world champion formulates his assessment more nuanced: “We certainly now have a car capable of beating them. But take the sprint and then qualifying: We didn’t win yesterday, and we didn’t change much after that. But I improved my driving, and today we turned the tables.”
“In my opinion, we have a similarly strong car as Mercedes, but they have better all-round performance than us. Our strength lies specifically in fast corners. Today I gained time in turns 7 and 8. But if I make a mistake in qualifying like yesterday, I start third, fourth, or fifth on the grid. Then we don’t win, and then no one makes such statements. I think people say this now because I’m doing such a good job,” says Norris.
Read more Who slept the worst last night: Oscar Piastri
The defending champion is not dreaming of the world championship anyway. He thinks race to race, he almost recites like a mantra, and thus blocks questions about his chances of becoming world champion again in 2026. A realistic view of things: Norris is currently fourth in the drivers’ standings, 83 points behind Antonelli.
Even if he continues to make up nine points per race weekend as recently in Budapest and Zandvoort, he would only take the overall lead after Qatar. And no one can guarantee today with certainty that the Grands Prix in the Middle East will really take place.
Mercedes: Bigger update planned only for Malaysia
Especially since McLaren is currently benefiting from the fresh Budapest and Zandvoort updates, whereas Mercedes plans the next bigger upgrade stages as of today only for early October, i.e., after Monza, Madrid, and Baku.
Antonelli says about this: “I have confidence in the team. They are working on the next package that is supposed to come, and they want to make sure everything works when we put it on the car.” At the moment, they are therefore in a more difficult phase of the season, “but when the package comes, I hope we will regain the upper hand.”
Until then, Mercedes is living off the lead the team built up before the summer break despite various reliability problems. And the power track in Monza will probably deliver a different balance of power than Budapest and Zandvoort: “I think we should be somewhat more competitive there,” suspects Russell. “But I think Ferrari is planning an engine update – and the truth is: We don’t know exactly.”
For Russell, Monza could therefore be a good chance to nibble away some of the 59 points that separate him from Antonelli after twelve of 23 planned Grands Prix. Because Antonelli will compete at his home race with a new power unit – and will therefore drop back on the grid.
Read more To conclude in Zandvoort: More spectators than ever in the Netherlands!