Dutch Grand Prix – The Editor’s Top / Flop

The TOP 3

1. Verstappen untouchable.

Once again, Max Verstappen and the others were present this Sunday afternoon in Zandvoort. On his home turf, the Dutch driver brilliantly secured another victory, his second at home, and increased his lead in the Championship.

Having started from pole position, Verstappen had a good start and put in a solid race to clinch his 10th victory of the year. While Mercedes and Hamilton briefly threatened with their unconventional strategy, the 2021 World Champion quickly set the record straight against a decimated competition. The title is getting closer for “Super Max”!

2. Russell, once again clinical.

And another solid race to add to the young Brit’s tally! Starting from the sixth position after missing his chance to improve his time in Q3 due to Sergio Perez’s crash, Russell showed his usual discreet and solid performance once the lights went out.

Behind Hamilton for the entire race, he showed great strategic skill when the safety car came out, even though his team initially did not want to change his tires. This strategic move allowed him to outsmart his teammate for the second place towards the end of the race and position himself just behind the winner of the day.

Just 13 points behind Pérez and Leclerc in the Championship, George Russell is consistently positioning himself as a genuine contender for the honorary title of Vice-World Champion!

3. Alpine, the best of the rest at Zandvoort.

The confirmation for the French team of their good physical condition. Starting beyond the top 10, the two Alpine drivers delighted with their overtakes this Sunday afternoon on Dutch soil.

Fernando Alonso even had the luxury of battling with Sergio Pérez’s struggling Red Bull towards the end of the race, finishing in a very respectable 6th place. On the other hand, Estéban Ocon, who had the best start in the pack, finished in the points for the fifth consecutive time in 9th position, despite some bitterness at not being able to do better.

Ambition is growing within the French clan!

The FLOP 3

1. Ferrari, it’s becoming embarrassing.

A never-ending refrain that goes on and on since so many Grand Prix. How can you be lenient with the most successful team in the history of F1, capable of making mistakes that we don’t even see in junior formula teams?

If only it were an exception, like Red Bull in 2016 with Ricciardo, who has become a master at changing tires, but the strategic errors and other blunders that Ferrari has made this season will certainly cost them a title, and possibly even second place with the strong comeback of Mercedes!

For our readers who haven’t seen the race, Carlos Sainz fell victim to two errors in the pit stop: the first one was due to a lost rear left tire deep inside the garage, costing the Spanish driver a whopping 12 seconds. The second one was a deemed dangerous release by the stewards, resulting in a 5-second penalty and a drop of three places in the standings.

A masterpiece Italian, as so often this season. From there to say that it is normal for the Scuderia to wait for a title for 14 years? There’s only one step!

2. The race direction and the Virtual Safety Car

It is a heated debate where, true to say, many longtime enthusiasts agree in unison: the Virtual Safety Car kills the suspense and the potential spectacle brought by the real Safety Car.

If its usefulness in minor incidents, such as debris on the track, can justify its use, the situation is completely different when it comes to the pit stop of a single-seater car on the edge of the track. And what about the slowness of the race direction before deploying the Safety Car following Valtteri Bottas’ mechanical failure in the middle of the straight line… Find our strong opinion on the matter in our editorial.

3. Verstappen without any real competition, has it become too easy?

If he has been dominant and it does not question his talent and performance, the fact that Verstappen has no competition necessarily penalizes the flavor of the Grand Prix. Do not see this as an attack against the Dutchman, he is not to blame if the competition is not as present as Hamilton, Vettel or Schumacher in their prime.

But it is clear that even by attempting audacious gambles like Mercedes or by executing a perfect race like Sainz in Belgium, nothing can stop the Red Bull locomotive this season. And the dismantling of suspense, aided by the blunders of Ferrari mentioned earlier, could very well offer us a season finale lacking in spectacle. Although we hope to be wrong about this point!

And you, what is your Top / Flop of the Dutch Grand Prix?

Next Grand Prix to follow, the one in Italy this weekend at Monza.

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