Norris has a message for those who still question his biggest 'weakness'

Max Verstappen’s opening-lap crash at Zandvoort triggered a red flag and a subsequent standing restart. The championship leader made the most of it with a brilliant launch, snatching the lead from Lando Norris into Turn 1. Ultimately, however, it had no impact on the final result, as Norris fought his way back past Antonelli to reclaim the lead and secure an impressive victory.

In the past, Norris had repeatedly lost positions at the start, even when lining up on pole, often attracting criticism over his ability to keep his composure when the lights went out.

After the race, the reigning world champion defended his record off the line and rejected the idea that starts continue to be an area of concern. Norris instead focused on the difference in grip between the two sides of the grid, having already noticed on Saturday that pole position appeared to offer less traction than P2.

That problem resurfaced on Sunday, with Norris experiencing more wheelspin than expected despite taking a cautious approach to the launch. He also highlighted how Piastri had managed to be more aggressive from the wetter inside line at the first start, leaving him keen to analyse the data with McLaren and establish why his side of the grid offered so little grip.

Norris was reluctant to place the blame entirely on either himself or the team, instead pointing to the significant difference in grip between the two sides of the grid. He admitted that the reasons behind that lack of traction were still unclear and that he would need to analyse what happened with McLaren before drawing any firm conclusions

The Brit jokingly poked fun at the late position swap between Antonelli and George Russell after Mercedes tried everything to keep its victory hopes alive in the closing stages of the Dutch Grand Prix. With Norris leading, Mercedes switched Antonelli onto soft tyres in a final attempt to give the Italian the pace required to close the gap and challenge for victory. However, his charge soon brought him onto the back of teammate Russell, who was running ahead of him.

That prompted a discussion over team radio as Mercedes looked to maximise Antonelli’s chances of catching Norris. After some back-and-forth, Russell eventually followed the team order and moved aside, allowing his teammate through. The strategy ultimately made little difference, with Antonelli unable to get close enough to mount a serious challenge for the lead.

Norris later watched the moment back during the post-race highlights in the traditional cool-down room. As the replay showed Russell moving aside to let Antonelli through, the Dutch Grand Prix winner could not resist a sarcastic reaction to the straightforward position swap.