Races at Zandvoort's sandy circuit see Piastri as the victor
In the thrilling race at Zandvoort, Oscar Piastri secured his seventh victory of the season, while rookie Isack Hadjar made a spectacular debut on the Formula 1 podium.
The race began with a setback for Ferrari as 19-year-old Antonelli's error resulted in the team failing to finish a car, just a week before their home race. However, the spotlight quickly shifted as Hadjar, a French-Algerian racing driver born on September 28, 2004, in Paris, proved his mettle. Making his Formula 1 debut with the Racing Bulls team in 2025, Hadjar achieved his first podium finish by placing third at his rookie season's first Grand Prix in Zandvoort. This impressive performance made him the youngest French driver to stand on an F1 podium.
Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, while Oscar Piastri took the chequered flag. Verstappen attempted to attack Norris but failed and had to let the championship leaders go when Norris' car started smoking. Unfortunately, Norris' teammate, Lando Norris, did not finish the race due to an oil leak, losing more ground before the upcoming Grand Prix in Italy.
The race saw a few incidents, including Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari and Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes colliding, ending Leclerc's Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz punctured Liam Lawson's tire in the Williams and ruined his own race, receiving a 10-second penalty. Defending champion Verstappen took a risk at the start of the race by starting on softer tires, a decision that seemed to pay off initially but ultimately did not affect the race's final outcome.
The subsequent safety car phase allowed competitors to change tires without issue, bunching up the field. However, the phase brought no excitement, as it did not lead to any significant changes at the front. Piastri comfortably led Norris and Verstappen after the restart.
The next safety car phase was used for the next tire change, a phase that brought no excitement. Verstappen admitted that he had some luck due to Norris' misfortune, but the defending champion is 104 points behind Piastri in the World Championship standings.
McLaren made the best impression early in the race, according to Sky expert Ralf Schumacher. Nico Hülkenberg finished 14th in the Sauber. Lewis Hamilton crashed into the barriers after a driving error, marking his first early retirement since joining Scuderia from Mercedes.
The racing community celebrated Hadjar's podium finish, with his team, Racing Bulls, leading the cheers. Hadjar's performance at Zandvoort has set the stage for an exciting rookie season, and fans are eagerly awaiting his next race. Piastri, on the other hand, continues to dominate the season, with a commanding lead in the World Championship.
