> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Winners and losers from F1's Dutch GP sprint race - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/winners-losers-from-f1-dutch-gp-sprint-race/ - Published: 2026-08-22T11:22:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-22T11:22:52.000Z - Description: Formula 1's first (and last) ever sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix was hardly a classic, but it did produce some winners and losers - Author: Josh Suttill - Tags: Formula 1, #dutch-grand-prix, #primary_homepage_feature Formula 1's first (and last) ever sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix was hardly a classic, but it did produce some winners and losers. Here's our team's picks... ### Loser: F1 We’re going to have more sprint races in 2027, and while it wouldn’t be fair to judge that decision based purely on this turgid Zandvoort race, it’s at least a warning that F1 has to be very careful in choosing which races get the sprint treatment. I’ve seen more action in supercar parades than this so-called 'race'. Up front, Leclerc’s dive down the inside of Lando Norris was the only overtake not assisted by the start, in which Kimi Antonelli jumped Oscar Piastri. Franco Colapinto also mugged Yuki Tsunoda at the start for 12th. The retiring Audi of Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez’s ailing Cadillac even assisted some of the rises up the order further down, too. An awful race and I only hope qualifying and the race is better to give Zandvoort a more fitting F1 send-off as it leaves the calendar. Because based on that sprint, I’m happy it’s leaving, and that’s really not fair and very sad. **\- Jack Benyon** ### Winner: Charles Leclerc (2nd) Thank goodness for Charles Leclerc’s gamble to wear soft tyres for the Zandvoort sprint, and to have the audacity to…make an overtake! Shocking. It was a strong move on Norris in the second half of the race, although Leclerc reckoned it was boosted because he could see Norris didn’t have as much deployment on the straight as he did. Perhaps that will be a theme that runs through this weekend in terms of deployment styles and execution. Using the soft tyres should have produced a gain at the start and a loss as they degraded at the end, but it looked the opposite for Leclerc, and he felt he and the team were vindicated by the “homework” they did on the softs. Ultimately, he had a bad start which hampered early progress, but Leclerc and the Ferrari kept the softs in better condition for longer than some of the medium runners, which is an intriguing prospect for race day. **\- JB** ### Loser: McLaren (3rd & 5th) Lando Norris’s rear tyres appeared to fall off a cliff just over a third of the way into this sprint race, and Oscar Piastri’s total anonymity in fifth just showed McLaren didn’t quite have the pace today. Both drivers were victims of the only two meaningful overtakes of the race, respectively. Hopefully they have learned a lesson from this that they can apply to the race as struggling that quickly on the mediums might make Sunday difficult for them if that continues. **\- JB** **Winner: George Russell (1st)** Whatever George Russell did over the summer (and maybe it was his engagement), he has returned from the summer break refreshed and with exactly the mental approach needed to grab the results that keep his title hopes alive. His Zandvoort sprint pole and victory (the third time out of five he has done the double this year) were helped by perfect execution in qualifying and some clever tyre management in the race – showing he is back at one with the W17. The points deficit to Kimi Antonelli is still big (56), and he is going to need a bit of luck on his side, but Russell has shown he is far down and out from a first half to the campaign that did not go to plan. **\- Jon Noble** ### Loser: Liam Lawson (11th) This placement isn't much of a reflection of Liam Lawson's driving in the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race, as he couldn't do much once Arvid Lindblad fended off his attack on the opening lap. Thereafter, it was a frustrating race for Lawson, who couldn't make any impression on his usual team-mate. Ultimately, Lawson was doomed by not making it into SQ3 on Friday and breaking into the top 10 will be the key goal for grand prix qualifying to ensure he doesn't get stuck again on Sunday of what's been a 'very respectable' stand-in weekend so far. But he'll need to do more than this to tip it into 'spectacular' territory. **\- Josh Suttill** ### Winner: Pierre Gasly (8th) As with most drivers on the grid, this result was born out of qualifying, where the upgraded Alpine of Gasly led the midfield, and maintained that during the race. Given the lack of overtaking, you wouldn’t want to read too much into this race. But despite early pressure, Gasly was able to gap Gabriel Bortoleto to the tune of nearly two seconds by the end. Positive signs for a team which has felt in no-man’s-land while Racing Bulls’ upgrades had shoved it ahead in the pecking order. **\- JB** ### Loser: Nico Hulkenberg (NC) With just seven laps completed in the sprint thanks to a "power issue right from the beginning", Nico Hulkenberg is the biggest loser in mileage terms. He was always unlikely to score points from 14th on the grid, but he did need laps to understand his baffling SQ2 exit on Friday, which he had very few answers to explain. **\- JS**