Not every race weekend is solely defined by who takes the checkered flag, and Zandvoort's farewell Grand Prix was no different. While the spotlight was on Lando Norris for his back-to-back wins, several other drivers down the order used the tricky conditions and red flag to their advantage to prove their worth. 

Several put up strong performances under the tricky conditions at the track. These showings can change the way a driver is viewed heading into the final stretch of the season. 

From a substitute making the most of the sudden opportunity to the seasoned veteran squeezing most out of their car, several drivers stood out this weekend for several reasons. 

In light of that, here are the top five drivers with some of the best drives of the weekend, according to the list put out by Formula One on their website on August 24th, written by Lawrence Barreto. 

1. Liam Lawson 

For this weekend, Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to the Red Bull Racing team to substitute for the injured Isack Hadjar.  He showed strong pace throughout the weekend, including during the sprint, after he started and finished the race in 11th. 

For the main race, he qualified eighth, just tenths behind his teammate Max Verstappen, and finished the race seventh. Not just that, he became the only points-scoring Red Bull at Zandvoort. 

2. Kimi Antonelli 

Despite not being able to convert his lead into his seventh win of the 2026 season, it was yet another successful week for him. While he damaged the floor of his car during SQ1, he still managed to qualify in fifth place. 

During the sprint, he finished the race in fourth place. However, he bounced back when it mattered the most, as he managed to finish the main race in second place, just 11.536 seconds off Lando Norris. 

With this earned crucial points to extend his lead in the drivers' championship. 

3. Lando Norris 

Post-sprint race, Norris seemed unsure of converting pole position into a win due to the pace displayed by George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. 

During the race restart, Antonelli only added to the doubt as he overtook Norris and took the lead of the race. However, the McLaren driver managed to regain the lead of the race in the middle stint. 

This marked his 13th career win and also made him the only driver this season, besides Antonelli, to win a race back-to-back. 

4. Fernando Alonso 

The Aston Martin driver's Dutch Grand Prix weekend was off to a rough start as the team did not make it through not just SQ1 but even Q1 despite the upgrades introduced. 

However, things began to look up for the Spaniard after the bold one-stop strategy. He managed to finish the race in ninth after starting the race from 18th. 

5. Nico Hulkenberg 

Hulkenberg perhaps had one of the most memorable moments of the race. On Lap one of the race, he had to swiftly react and avoid his teammate, Gabriel Bortoleto, who spun out right in front of him. 

From there onwards, the No. 27 driver settled into a rhythm. He managed his tyres well and put his car in eighth to score his second consecutive points finish. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco