The Curse is Broken (BWOKEN): Lando Converts Pole to Win

In a much-anticipated roller-coaster race that was the Dutch Grand Prix, the first after the summer break, Lando Norris qualified on pole ahead of the current world champion and distant championship rival, Max Verstappen. Sandwiched by the McLarens, with Piastri in third, McLaren would have hoped that Norris could hold off Max into Turn 1, giving Piastri the opportunity to overtake him. Sadly, both McLarens were overtaken into Turn 1, despite arguably having the fastest cars on track.

Sergio Pérez, buoyed by Red Bull's vote of confidence in keeping him amid a whirlwind of rumors about who would replace him for the rest of the season, was able to qualify 5th, only to be passed by an ailing Ferrari before the end of the first lap.

We saw beautiful wheel-to-wheel racing between Sainz and Gasly through Turns 1, 2, and into the banked corner of Turn 3. Norris ran a beautifully mounted gimbal cam, which perfectly captured the elevation and banking of the Zandvoort circuit, as well as his very quick and aggressive overtake of Verstappen into Turn 1 on lap 18 to retake the lead of the race and fight for a chance at the top step.

Starting in 14th due to a 3-place grid penalty, Lewis Hamilton was able to make it up to 9th by lap 17 on the soft compound tires, with fans hoping he could recreate his Brazil 2021 performance where he won from 25 places down. He pitted on lap 24 for the hard compounds.

After the first round of pit stops, McLaren secured a beautiful 1-2, with Piastri still to stop by lap 32, extracting every last bit of life from his starting medium tires.

In an act of F1 amazement, Gasly, Albon, and the two Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll all drove around a slow-moving Magnussen, trying to take positions into Turn 1.

By lap 47, the McLaren 1-2 began to emerge with Piastri in 4th, within DRS range of Leclerc in 3rd, while Verstappen complained about his tires as Norris comfortably held a 13+ second lead over Max.

With a free pit stop to Hulkenberg, Lewis stopped on lap 49 for brand new softs to set the fastest lap and attempt to close in on Pérez, whose performance was lackluster. This allowed McLaren to close the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship to less than 30 points as we head to the Temple of Speed in Italy.

All drivers battled the wind today, causing some to misjudge braking points or have the wind push them more than desired.

With a sea of orange for the Dutch fans, it was actually a sea of papaya for McLaren’s Lando Norris. Taking his second-ever F1 victory, the fastest lap (on the last lap), Driver of the Day, and beating Max at home, Norris will be invigorated as thoughts now swirl: Can and will Lando fight Max for the Championship with 9 races to go? Will McLaren beat Red Bull to the Constructors' Championship? With Norris beating Max by over 20 seconds, the largest gap of the season thus far, is McLaren really the team to beat? Is Ferrari making a resurgence, coming in 3rd ahead of Piastri, either by luck or a master drive from Leclerc?

We head to Monza, a truly fast track, where we will get our answers.