McLaren’s Lando Norris achieved a remarkable victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he made history by defeating home favorite Max Verstappen for the first time in front of his loyal “Orange Army” fans. The British talent, who previously won in Miami earlier this year, secured his second career win, thereby reducing Verstappen’s lead in the World Championship to 70 points, as Verstappen finished in second place.

Despite the Zandvoort circuit being filled with enthusiastic spectators, Verstappen was unable to extract the optimal performance from his Red Bull car and had to watch as a recently upgraded McLaren emerged as the team to beat in Formula 1.

The start of the race was critical. Norris experienced a sluggish start, which allowed Verstappen to take the lead with a powerful acceleration, much to the delight of the many fans present. However, by lap 18, Norris fought back, overtaking Verstappen on the outside at turn one, and from there, he quickly began to pull away.

By lap 40, Norris had extended his lead to over 10 seconds ahead of Verstappen, needing only to avoid any issues to secure the win. The final margin between the two drivers was a significant 22.896 seconds. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc managed to hold off McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and secured third place after an exciting battle.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who has been facing challenges this season, finished in a disappointing sixth place, further tightening the gap in the Constructors’ Championship. The Formula 1 circus now moves on to the legendary Monza circuit in Italy next weekend for round 16 of 24, where all eyes will be on how Verstappen handles the pressure, as he has not won a Grand Prix since June in Barcelona. This marks his longest winless streak since 2020, raising concerns for the Red Bull team, although it may still be too early to speak of panic.