Verstappen performs heroic act for home crowd with overtaking maneuver on Norris

Verstappen started the F1 race in Zandvoort on the softs, thus deviating from most other drivers, who started on the mediums. An aggressive strategy, with one clear goal: to overtake a McLaren, if not both McLarens.

That choice paid off immediately at the start. Verstappen got off well and was immediately next to Norris, to then also make an attempt to take the lead from Oscar Piastri. The Dutchman failed just on the outside, causing Norris to gain ground again. However, Verstappen managed to take back the second place through a late brake action, despite the fact that he nearly lost control of his Red Bull car.