George Russell continued his post-summer resurgence by winning the penultimate Formula 1 sprint of the season at the Dutch Grand Prix.The Mercedes driver led from pole in a processional 24-lap race at Zandvoort, though rain falling as he rounded the final corner could have changed everything had it come a lap earlier.Charles Leclerc made the only leading overtake on Lando Norris to secure second ahead of the McLaren driver, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli took fourth.Rain threatens but comes too late— Formula 1 (@F1) August 22, 2026There was a muted build-up to the sprint compared to the usual Zandvoort festival atmosphere as fans struggled to reach the circuit following issues at the main train station in Amsterdam, though the grandstands had filled by the time cars set off on the formation lap.Sergio Perez was unable to get going from the grid, with the Cadillac wheeled down the pitlane with an issue. The Mexican wouldn't get into the race until lap three.Russell had the best start from pole and led into Tarzan with Norris holding second from Leclerc - who had opted for soft tires - while behind, Antonelli found his way past Oscar Piastri for fourth.The order settled down immediately, as is typical around the tight Zandvoort layout, though Russell had managed to extend his lead to over a second.By lap five, it was clear that the top five had a pace advantage over Max Verstappen in sixth, the Red Bull driver dropping off the back of Piastri at the rear of the leading pack. That was holding Lewis Hamilton's advances up.Getty Images / Red Bull Content PoolBut Hamilton eventually dropped off the back of Verstappen himself, albeit he was eight seconds up the road from Pierre Gasly behind.Norris was beginning to keep Russell honest in the chase for the top spot, but a mistake at Tarzan, moments after complaining of having "no rear" over team radio, saw him drop over a second to the Mercedes driver and instead into the clutches of Leclerc.At the halfway point, Piastri had fallen off a cliff compared to the four cars in front and having drifted to four seconds off that pack, the Australian had his mirrors full of Verstappen's Red Bull.But there was a yo-yo effect in play, with Verstappen dropping back himself after multiple laps in the dirty air. By Lap 17, Leclerc was up to the back of Norris again, with both within a second of Russell for the race lead. A lap later, an overtake finally came as Leclerc took advantage of a power deficit to Norris to take the inside into Tarzan for second. That put the reigning champion under pressure from Antonelli, who was lurking behind.But despite the threat of rain in the closing stages - which came as the drivers crossed the finish line - the order remained stagnant as Russell took victory, ahead of Leclerc and Norris.The heavens have opened as the chequered flag falls! 🌧️#F1Sprint #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/gjzSjGvuRY— Formula 1 (@F1) August 22, 2026Antonelli settled for fourth with Piastri fifth and Verstappen sixth, while Hamilton lost ground in the drivers' championship with seventh.Gasly held on for the final point in the Alpine, despite pressure from Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad.F1 Dutch Grand Prix 2026: Sprint ResultsPositionDriverTeam1George RussellMercedes2Charles LeclercFerrari3Lando NorrisMcLaren4Kimi AntonelliMercedes5Oscar PiastriMcLaren6Max VerstappenRed Bull7Lewis HamiltonFerrari8Pierre GaslyAlpine9Gabriel BortoletoAudi10Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls11Liam LawsonRed Bull12Franco ColapintoAlpine13Yuki TsunodaRacing Bulls14Esteban OconHaas15Oliver BearmanHaas16Alex AlbonWilliams17Lance StrollAston Martin18Fernando AlonsoAston Martin19Valtteri BottasCadillac20Carlos SainzWilliams21Sergio PerezCadillac22Nico HulkenbergAudiF1 Drivers' Championship Standings After the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix SprintMercedes-Benz MediaPositionDriver [Team]Points1Kimi Antonelli [Mercedes]2242Lewis Hamilton [Ferrari]1713George Russell [Mercedes]1684Charles Leclerc [Ferrari]1455Lando Norris [McLaren]1346Max Verstappen [Red Bull]1127Oscar Piastri [McLaren]968Isack Hadjar [Red Bull]689Liam Lawson [Racing Bulls/Red Bull]4310Pierre Gasly [Alpine]4311Arvid Lindblad [Racing Bulls]2312Franco Colapinto [Alpine]1913Oliver Bearman [Haas]1814Gabriel Bortoleto [Audi]1015Carlos Sainz [Williams]616Alex Albon [Williams]517Esteban Ocon [Haas]318Nico Hulkenberg [Audi]219Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin]120Lance Stroll [Aston Martin]021Valtteri Bottas [Cadillac]022Sergio Perez [Cadillac]023Yuki Tsunoda [Racing Bulls]0F1 Constructors' Championship Standings After the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix SprintPositionTeamPoints1Mercedes3922Ferrari3163McLaren2304Red Bull1805Racing Bulls666Alpine627Haas218Audi129Williams1110Aston Martin111Cadillac0Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow