Russell wins Dutch GP sprint from pole position

George Russell won the sprint race at the Dutch Grand Prix on 22 August 2026, leading from pole to the flag. It was his third sprint victory this season achieved from pole position.

Russell led a group of four cars for the entire sprint, consistently keeping the chasing pack at bay. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc overtook McLaren's Lando Norris with six laps remaining to move into second place ahead of the world champion, who fended off a late attack from Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. The running order at the front changed little after that pass.

In the opening stages Norris stayed within about a second of Russell and appeared quicker at times, but his race pace faltered. After eight laps Norris radioed his team to report he had no rear grip, and he began to drop time to the Mercedes. That loss of pace allowed Leclerc to close in.

Leclerc had started the sprint on soft tyres while the other front-runners used mediums. Rather than suffering tyre degradation, Leclerc's pace improved and he completed his move into Tarzan on lap 18 of 24. Russell said: "As soon as I saw Charles behind, I dropped the hammer a bit and the two of us pulled away."

Russell's only real concern during the sprint was the weather, with rain forecast two laps from the end. The precipitation did not arrive until after the chequered flag as drivers completed their slowing-down laps. The downpour was heavy enough that it would have made the finish more eventful had it fallen earlier.

Norris then had to focus on defending from Antonelli, who was 0.3secs adrift of the McLaren crossing the line into the final lap. Antonelli feinted a move into Tarzan but was not close enough to complete an overtake. Norris said: "I don't think it was the tyres. We lacked pace and we have a bit of work to do."

Oscar Piastri gradually fell away from the lead group but held off Max Verstappen on the final lap, crossing the line 0.3secs clear, with Lewis Hamilton close behind the Red Bull. The seven-time champion finished seventh behind Piastri and Verstappen. Russell's win cuts his deficit in the championship to Antonelli to 56 points, with Lewis Hamilton in second place; Hamilton is three points ahead of Russell in the standings.