The orange army turned out in great numbers to watch their home hero cross the finish line in first, but whilst Verstappen was victorious, a rather chaotic Grand Prix unfolded behind him in the dunes of Zandvoort. Leaving some teams to scratch their heads and wonder where it went so wrong (yet again), whilst others were pleasantly surprised by the unexpected turn of events.
Curious as to whether your favourite ran for the hills (or dunes) the moment the chequered flag fell or stuck around for some tunes and a little dance to celebrate a race well done? Be sure to read to find out in the 15th report cards of the season:
Top of the class:
Max Verstappen – Qualifying: 1st | Race: 1st (+FL)
The smallest of hiccups had to be dealt with on Friday during FP1, as a gearbox issue was the cause of some concern, but apart from that Max was pretty much untouchable. Charles came close on the Saturday, as he missed out on pole with the smallest of margins, but the Dutchman looked unfazed. Rightfully so, as the cheers of his army only spurred him on further when it came to Sunday.
Verstappen has most likely reserved the spot on his mantle for the championship trophy for another year, as he is relentlessly pursuing the WDC for the second year running. With now a dominant 109 points clear, it’s still mathematically possible for him to not be crowned victorious at the end of the season, but it’s certainly looking very unlikely. Especially considering nobody seems to be on their a-game as much as Max and Red Bull are.
George Russell – Qualifying: 6th |Race: 2nd
Consistency is key in the world of Formula 1, and if there’s one driver who’s consistent, it’s George William Russell. In 15 races, he managed to bag himself 14 top-five finishes. The fact that one should never count out Mercedes rang true once more, as George is slowly but surely creeping up the standings.
The Brit has passed Carlos in the standings and is just 13 points down from the drivers currently tied for second place in the championship (Charles and Checo). He done so despite starting last of the top 3 teams after quali, with a yellow flag caused by Checo preventing him from a likely top-3 start. George showed strong pace all weekend, however. So many expected him to move forward despite Zandvoort being notorious for its lack of overtaking opportunities.
A key strategy call to pit for softs under the Safety Car allowed George to not only defend from Charles, but also overtake teammate Lewis Hamilton to equal his best result in F1. But Russell will most certainly savour the P2 as this was a full race unlike Spa 2021.
Fernando Alonso – Qualifying: 13th | Race: 6th (promoted from 7th due to penalty)
Another driver who recently has been the textbook definition of consistent is Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard managed to score points in the last ten rounds, the only driver who is on a stronger streak than him is our championship leader.
Alpine’s strategy for the Sunday was most likely the inspiration for Mercedes’ strategy calls, as Fernando’s early switch to the hard compound was copied by the Silver Arrows. A second stop allowed Alonso to jump past Lando Norris, but keeping the Brit behind on track was all Fernando.
This was a key result for both Alonso and Alpine, as Ocon coming home in P9 ensured Alpine further extended their lead over McLaren for P4 in the Constructor’s standings. Alonso also picked up an extra two points thanks to being elevated from 7th to 6th after a penalty for Carlos Sainz.
Then for honourable mentions:
First up is Lance Stroll, who definitely had one of his strongest weekends of the season thus far. He didn’t just qualify into the points, but he held a firm grasp on the fringes to bring home a point. It’s his fifth time this year scoring a point during a race. The Canadian hasn’t managed to score higher as of yet, but achieving this result semi-consistently is certainly promising.
The second driver who deserves an honourable mention is Lando Norris. With a superb qualifying he managed to place himself firmly in front of both Alpines, lining up on P7 – but the Brit wasn’t sure whether he could actually keep them behind on Sunday. This concern proved to be valid, as he had to concede one position to Fernando Alonso. Finishing seventh solidifies his seventh position in the WDC for now, but the fireworks at the end of the season aren’t yet in sight.
The Struggle Bus:
Ferrari
Carlos Sainz – Qualifying: 3rd | Race: 8th (demoted from 5th due to penalty)
Charles Leclerc – Qualifying: 2nd | Race: 3rd
It’s yet another week behind the wheel of the Struggle Buss for the Maranello-based team. Ferrari will really need to step up their game if they don’t want to be greeted with pitchforks of an angry Tifosi in Monza, because this weekend was another headscratcher. Whilst most other teams were firmly focussed on a Sunday drive in the sandy dunes of Zandvoort, Ferrari was firmly lost at sea.
Charles probably won’t be a very happy camper, because the Italian stable expected for their F1-75 to be superior in the lowlands, but instead he was taunted by the rear of Verstappen’s Red Bull as the Dutchman disappeared in a billowing cloud of orange smoke. The Monegasque’s consolation price is the fact that he’s now tied with Checo for second in the WDC, but with Verstappen so far ahead it’s unlikely that Charles feels soothed by this titbit of information.
What’s truly baffling is the mistake which cost Sainz his podium position. Sure, the Spaniard was lacking general pace on Sunday, but having to fight back from a 12-second pitstop certainly complicated things further. The world watched on in confusion as only three tyres were available for Carlos Sainz’s pitstop, with a fourth one being brought out incredibly late.
Add to that a wheel- gun which was left out in the middle of the pit straight, which in turn made Sergio’s Sunday a little more difficult, and the prancing horses really can be grateful that they were only given a reprimand for the incident. The stewards did serve Carlos a five-second penalty a little later for an unsafe release, but things could have certainly been worse. Dropping 3 places from where he crossed the line doesn’t look particularly costly but Mercedes is surprisingly close for P2 in the Constructor’s despite failing to win a race.
Yuki Tsunoda – Qualifying: 9th | Race: DNF
Not sure whether Yuki actually deserves to be ‘named and shamed’ for his Sunday drive, as he really was only acting with safety at the forefront of his mind. After a pitstop, the Japanese driver felt that something was awry and suspected that one of the wheels hadn’t been fastened properly, stopping out on track.
The team deemed it safe enough for him to return to the pits, but by this time Yuki had already unbuckled himself. Meaning that he didn’t just have to come in for a fresh set of tyres, but also had to have his seatbelt re-fastened. When returning to the track, it was clear that something was still amiss, meaning that he was forced to park the car once more.
It certainly was unfortunate, and it leaves Yuki with a painful streak of nine pointless races, but considering the situation he found himself in, his quick thinking should still be applauded. Perhaps instead of reserving Yuki a seat in the struggle bus, a select group of fans can board instead. As accusations of foul play eventually mounted in hateful comments which were directed not only at AlphaTauri and Yuki Tsunoda, but also Red Bull Racing’s head of Strategy Hannah Schmitz. Not only were those accusations untrue and unfunded, but they were also unnecessarily hateful and abusive in nature.
Haas
Kevin Magnussen – Qualifying: 18th | Race: 15th
Mick Schumacher – Qualifying: 10th | Race: 13th
The weekend started off promising for Haas, especially for Mick Schumacher, as the German driver managed to land himself in Q3. An issue with the front jack then resulted in a slow stop, which consequently dropped him out of the points. On the other side of the garage Kevin tried to overcome a difficult qualifying with a good start, but he perhaps was a bit overzealous, as he ended up brushing the wall at turn 2 on the second lap.
With four pointless races, the American team will be eager to end the triple header on a high, but we can only wait and see whether that will ring true.
Then for Dishonourable Mentions:
The first dishonourable mention goes to Lewis Hamilton. Truthfully, the Brit was simply unlucky, finding himself on the wrong side of the VSC/SC timing and losing out on a potential win because of it. His subsequent radio message wasn’t very charming either, but with adrenaline running high that is not very surprising and can most definitely be excused. Still, Hamilton does seem rather fond of pointing fingers when strategy calls don’t go his way, whilst he most definitely has enough authority in the team to put his foot down and make a call like that himself, if he truly think that’s the best way to go.
The second dishonourable mention goes to Hamilton’s former teammate Valtteri Bottas. Whilst he kicked off his season on a high, Bottas now finds himself spiralling downwards. Sunday’s DNF was his third in a row, which is both a first in his career and not very promising for the rest of his season.
The winners and losers of the weekend won’t have a lot of time to celebrate or dwell, however, as the teams will have already packed everything up and be well on their way to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix. Want to know whether Ferrari will be welcomed home or greeted with pitchforks by their beloved Tifosi? Be sure to tune in at 2pm on Sunday the 11th of September for the back-end of this triple-header.
