HeadlinesBriefing favicon HeadlinesBriefing.com

Norris closes gap to Antonelli after Dutch GP win

Sky Sports Champions League •
×

While he won neither of the race formats across the Zandvoort Sprint weekend, Kimi Antonelli increased his overall world championship lead at the Dutch Grand Prix as Formula 1 returned from its summer break.

The Mercedes driver now leads both team-mate George Russell and Ferrari rival Lewis Hamilton by 59 points, the second-largest advantage Antonelli has enjoyed at the top of the Drivers' Championship so far this season.

But Antonelli's advantage over the driver now occupying fourth place in the standings was cut by a further eight points, following reigning champion Lando Norris' second successive Grand Prix victory, which moved him to within 83 points of the championship lead.

Norris became just the second driver after Antonelli to claim consecutive wins this season, with the McLaren driver's Zandvoort triumph coming after he overtook the championship leader on track. Antonelli had initially reclaimed the lead from Norris at the restart following the red flag triggered by Max Verstappen's heavy lap-one crash.

Four weeks on from a supreme showing at the Hungarian Grand Prix, when he claimed the first Grand Prix pole and win of his world title defence, Norris was impressive again throughout the Zandvoort weekend. Yet his celebrations in parc ferme were noticeably muted after Saturday's Sprint frustration, where he finished third behind Charles Leclerc.