The Dutch Grand Prix saw one hell of a race on Sunday, filled with wheel-to-wheel action and crazy moments from a number of drivers. Cars running over wheel guns, tyres not being fitted correctly and foul-mouthed rants were just a few of the moments you might’ve missed if you failed to tune in on Sunday afternoon, so strap in and catch up on all that went on in Zandvoort.
Mercedes are back, maybe?
Not that Lewis Hamilton wants to hear this, but Mercedes had a great chance of winning the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend. George Russell settled for second behind eventual winner Max Verstappen but Valtteri Bottas’s stoppage caused the Dutchman to pit for soft tyres with the rest of the pack, but Mercedes gambled on Hamilton’s mediums being able to see him through as he sat in first place.
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Verstappen’s soft tyres immediately went to work, and he took advantage of Hamilton restarting the action a lot earlier than usual as he got to high speed adjacent to his rival before easily overtaking him and going on to win. The former champion was furious with his team, saying that they had ‘f*cking screwed him’ and he was ‘p*ssed’ at their choice of strategy that left him vulnerable. He was eventually overtaken by his teammate Russell and Charles Leclerc and finished fourth.
It was a disappointing day for Hamilton but second and fourth for Mercedes is excellent progress from where they were a few months ago, and competing with Verstappen once again is where the winningest race driver in history belongs, so it’s great to see a competitive Mercedes on the grid.
Ferrari Shambles Once Again
2016 Drivers Champion Nico Rosberg summed up Ferrari best this weekend when he said “Even Formula 2 or F3 teams do a better job when it comes to strategy and pit stops than Ferrari.”
This weekend saw many issues and they mainly involved Carlos Sainz. First off, his first pit stop was over 12 seconds long as the mechanics were not informed of the Spaniard’s stop, therefore didn’t have the tyres ready for him. Not only this, but Red Bull’s Sergio Perez ended up running over one of Ferrari’s wheel guns that was discarded on the floor during the ordeal. Perez was exonerated thanks to the Zandvoort pit lane being much shorter than at other circuits.
There was drama with Sainz’s last pit stop of the race too. After a more routine stop was completed, Ferrari held Sainz in to allow his former teammate Lando Norris into his area of the pits, but released him straight into the path of Fernando Alonso. Sainz believed he had enough time and space to easily exit his box, but a McLaren mechanic stepped out of position, forcing him to brake and therefore ended up making Alonso take evasive manoeuvres, leading to a five-second penalty that saw him drop three places.
Another calamitous weekend for Ferrari. Will they improve in time for their home race next weekend?
Gasly To Alpine, Herta to AlphaTauri?
In terms of driver news, it’s looking likely that Alpine have their new driver in place for next season in AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman has been impressive since being relegated back to Red Bull’s sister team when he was given a few races under the flagship team after Daniel Ricciardo’s departure in 2018.
AlphaTauri are sounding out two replacements, the main target being IndyCar star Colton Herta, who signed a deal with McLaren earlier this season as their ‘development driver’ and reportedly impressed the team during test runs. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko confirmed a deal was in place with the 22-year-old, but they need to wait and see if the FIA will grant him a super licence.
He currently has just 32 points when he needs 40 to be eligible to get the licence, but this can be overturned with a force majeure, or if they deem that circumstances out of their control have prevented a driver from getting the amount required.
The governing body has said that they will not make exceptions for anyone, but Red Bull are hoping that they can get this over the line. If they’re unable to, then it’s unlikely that Gasly will be allowed to leave the team yet.
F2 star Felipe Drugovich is a secondary target for AlphaTauri, with the current F2 table leader being considered as the team’s reserve driver for next season thanks to some incredible performances so far this year.
McLaren Win Piastri CRB Case
Oscar Piastri will officially race for McLaren next season, after the team won the case against Alpine when it came to whose contract was valid for the Australian. The Contract Recognition Board met on Friday to end the case and issue a statement: “The only Contract to be recognised by the Board is the Contract between McLaren Racing Limited and Mr Piastri dated 4 July 2022”.
Piastri replaces fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo for the 2023 season and beyond at McLaren, with the team paying off their driver’s contract early. Rumours of where Ricciardo will end up next are still swirling, with teams looking to get their business done early. Haas remains an option, whereas Alpine, who were the biggest rumour so far, are close to finalising a deal for Gasly.
Verstappen Dominates Again
It was another maximum points weekend for Max Verstappen. A first placed finish and fastest lap bonus point puts him 109 points clear of second-placed Charles Leclerc and it’s looking like the title race could be over by the end of Monza next weekend.
The Dutchman’s soft tyre change in the late safety car period gave him the opportunity to overtake Lewis Hamilton and give himself breathing room down the final few laps. It was an impressive victory despite not leading the race all the way through, something that hasn’t happened to him for a few weeks now.
The local crowd were thrilled as their reigning champion put on a show for them and took his tenth win of the season. Red Bull now also sit 136 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings too, with a comeback from any other team seeming highly unlikely at this point.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
