Oscar Piastri powered to victory at an incident-packed Dutch Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, with home favourite Max Verstappen claiming second place as Piastri's McLaren teammate Lando Norris suffered a dramatic breakdown late in the race.

Piastri led from pole to chequered flag at the Zandvoort circuit in a race that saw the safety car deployed three times to stretch his lead over Norris to 34 points in the championship race.

Racing Bulls' 20-year-old French rookie Isack Hadjar finished third to become the fifth youngest podium finisher of all time.

It was Piastri's sixth Grand Prix victory of the season and cemented the Australian's status as the man to catch in this year's drivers' championship.

"I felt like I was in control of that one and just used the pace when I needed to," said Piastri.

"If we can keep it running then that'd be great but there's a long way to go yet and we keep doing it one race at a time," added the Australian.

A thrilling start saw Verstappen, who started third on the grid, overtake Norris before briefly losing control of his Red Bull.

To the cheers of tens of thousands of his "Orange Army" fans, Verstappen recovered brilliantly to settle in behind Piastri, who got off to a clean start.

But the faster race pace of the McLaren quickly told and Norris passed the Dutchman on his left-hand side in lap nine to restore the one-two for the papaya team.

The big unknown in the run-up to the race had been the weather at the famously unpredictable circuit just a stone's throw from the North Sea coast.

The first rain began to fall around lap 15 of 72 and just 10 laps later, claimed its first victim, as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton slid his Ferrari off the track into the barriers.

"I'm so sorry guys," said an unhurt Hamilton, who at the last Grand Prix had described himself as a "completely useless" driver who should be replaced.

The safety car deployment bunched up the field again but Piastri held off his determined teammate Norris, who in turn kept Verstappen at bay in third.

Behind the front-runners, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc pulled off an extraordinary overtaking manoeuvre on George Russell from Mercedes. (AFP)