After a hectic end to the race at Zandvoort with big title permutations, who started the final stretch of the Formula 1 season strong and who needs a longer warm-up?
Oscar Piastri: 9.5
On a weekend where it looked like he was on the back foot to team-mate Lando Norris after practice, Oscar Piastri laid down a marker and a huge statement of intent.
Claiming pole position by just 12 thousandths of a second, the Australian controlled the race from lights to flag, surviving three Safety Car restart periods in the process.
Pole, win, fastest lap and leading every lap saw Piastri become only the second Australian driver to achieve a Grand Chelem, after three-time champion Jack Brabham.
This, alongside a late DNF resigning Norris to ending up without a point, means Piastri has grown his lead in the championship to 34 points with just nine rounds to go.
Lando Norris: 7.5
Despite coming into Zandvoort on the crest of a wave in terms of momentum, it was not the day Norris needed in his pursuit of a maiden World title.
Having missed out on pole, the Briton also dropped behind Max Verstappen on the opening lap, dropping 4.5 seconds to leader Piastri once clear of the Dutchman on Lap 9.
Norris never really posed much of a threat to Piastri’s lead, rarely getting under a second, and with just eight laps to go, would have to pull over and retire the car due to an oil leak.
A second DNF of the season leaves the Briton with all the work to do as time begins to run out.
Max Verstappen: 9
While Verstappen was unable to use home race magic to overturn the McLarens, the Dutchman maximised his race once again for another run to the podium.
Third on the grid, two tenths behind the McLaren duo, set Verstappen up for an opportunity to mix things up, something he managed perfectly starting on the Softs.
Getting ahead of Norris early was all Verstappen could do against the McLarens, as he was unable to make the most of several Safety Car restarts to beat Piastri.
Yuki Tsunoda: 6
With his chances of remaining at Red Bull next season dwindling, Tsunoda finally ended his point-less run.
Despite getting knocked out in Q2 again, the Japanese driver made the most of the late race chaos to move into the points, eventually picking up ninth.
It marks his first points since the race in Imola back in May, and while still nothing to write home about, it could be the start of the run-in needed to save his position.
Isack Hadjar: 10
Despite a rocky run of results prior to the summer break, Isack Hadjar returned with a bang at Zandvoort.
A stunning lap to take fourth on the grid was followed up by a masterclass on Sunday, the Frenchman comfortably holding off challenges from both Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
In fact, Hadjar’s pace was so good that he was able to keep the senior team’s car of Verstappen within sight and capitalised on Norris’ late retirement to storm to a maiden F1 podium.
Hadjar has become the fifth youngest driver to stand on the rostrum, the third driver to take a debut podium in 2025 after fellow rookie Kimi Antonelli and veteran Nico Hulkenberg.
Liam Lawson: 6.5
It was an eventful race for Liam Lawson to say the least.
Starting in the top 10 in eighth, the Kiwi would have a collision with Carlos Sainz’s Williams at Turn 1 that saw both cars pick up punctures.
Dropping a lap down, Lawson would make a late charge after the final Safety Car and just miss out on points in 12th at the chequered flag.
George Russell: 7.5
Russell was relieved to come home fourth in his battle-scarred Mercedes after a feisty battle with Leclerc.
Having lost out to the Ferrari on the opening lap, the Briton was caught out again by a brave and bold move from the Monegasque around the outside of the tight Turn 11.
With the Ferrari barging its way up the inside, Russell would pick up floor damage and have to limp home somewhat, perhaps thankful for late Safety Cars and retirements.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: 4
Having been set for a confidence-boosting run to the top five, Antonelli would end up in 16th after picking up two penalties for taking out Leclerc and speeding in the pit lane.
An attempted undercut on the Ferrari during the second pit stops put the Italian in position to attack, but a clumsy move on the inside of the banked Turn 3 saw his Mercedes slide into the side of Leclerc’s Ferrari, spinning the Monegasque into the wall and out of the race.
Recovering back to the pits saw him inadvertently speed and pick up a second penalty in quick succession, meaning that while he crossed the line in sixth, he missed out on points.
Alex Albon: 8.5
Alex Albon put a poor qualifying behind him on race day to charge through the field to another top-five finish.
Starting 15th, the Anglo-Thai driver quickly made his way into the top 10 and was quick to capitalise on team-mate Sainz’s collision with Lawson to move up to eighth.
From there onwards, he survived the late race action to finish in the top five for the fourth time this season and for the first time since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz: 7
Sainz was on the receiving end of a rather harsh 10-second penalty for his collision with Lawson’s Racing Bull, which essentially put pay to any run to the points.
Despite also being a lap down after the collision, Sainz made the most of the final Safety Car to take 13th, a result that provided little consolation to the Spaniard.
Oliver Bearman: 9
Charging through the field has become something of a talent for Oliver Bearman in 2025 as he stormed from the pit lane to a career-best sixth-place finish come the chequered flag.
A long stint on the Hard tyre set him up well for a late race assault on the points while on softer rubber as he overtook multiple drivers who had tried to stick it out for track position.
Esteban Ocon: 8.5
Esteban Ocon backed up his team-mate’s strong run to the points with a solid 10th-place finish while also starting from the back end of the grid in 18th.
Like Bearman, Ocon went long on the Hard tyres early on as the Haas cars worked together to hold off faster cars on fresher tyres before pouncing in the latter stages.
Lance Stroll: 8
Despite some promising pace in practice, Lance Stroll left himself a mountain to climb after a mistake on his opening run in Q1 put him in the gravel and out of the session.
Starting last, Stroll, like many ahead of him, used the Safety Cars to his advantage, eventually crossing the line to take seventh, his third seventh-place finish in four races.
Fernando Alonso: 8
A run from 10th on the grid to eighth may sound like a quiet Sunday drive, but that wasn’t the case for Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard had decided to roll the dice on an early undercut, which meant he was attacking and defending in the latter stages of the race on the numerous restarts.
A sixth-place finish in the last seven races and another double points finish from the team bolstered Aston Martin’s strive to take fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Franco Colapinto: 7
A best result of the season for Franco Colapinto wasn’t enough for a first points finish with Alpine as he was 11th at the chequered flag.
Colapinto, though, could take confidence from a weekend where he was much closer to Pierre Gasly on pace than he has been so far.
Pierre Gasly: 7
Gasly made it back-to-back weekends as the last car to cross the line, with 17th being all he could muster as Alpine slipped ever further from the rear of the pack.
Having made it into Q2, the Frenchman was situated in the points when the final Safety Car derailed his race as he was a sitting duck on heavily worn Hard tyres.
Nico Hulkenberg: 5
Three races since his maiden podium in F1 and three races without points as Nico Hulkenberg got stuck in the mid pack to finish 14th after another Q1 exit in 17th.
Gabriel Bortoleto: 6
Despite outqualifying his more experienced team-mate again, Gabriel Bortoleto finished behind as Sauber failed to continue its strong run of form pre-summer break.
Charles Leclerc: 8
An eventful race for Leclerc ultimately saw the Monegasque come away from the race with no points and a heavily damaged Ferrari.
Leclerc seemingly had no luck on his side as he pitted on the lap his team-mate crashed to bring out the first Safety Car.
Then, despite a thrilling battle with Russell in which he would prevail, it would be at the second round of stops where his race would unravel again.
Covering an attempted undercut from the other Mercedes of Antonelli, the Italian tried an aggressive but slightly clumsy move into Turn 3, colliding with Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton: 5
A slight error as drizzle fell cost Lewis Hamilton dear in Zandvoort as he made it back-to-back pointless races for the first time since back-to-back DNFs in 2010.
A twitch of oversteer into Turn 3 put Hamilton wide onto the painted advertisements, rendering him a passenger as he tagged the wall, ending his race on the spot.
And to compound his woes, his first trip to Monza as a Ferrari driver will be under the shadow of a five-place grid penalty due to failing to slow for double yellows on a reconnaissance lap.
READ MORE – Oscar Piastri wins chaotic Dutch GP as Lando Norris and both Ferraris retire
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