Dutch Grand Prix – Perspectives for the race

The F3 races highlighted the difficulty of overtaking on the twisty circuit of Zandvoort, raising fears of a procession for the F1 Grand Prix. But since it’s the first F1 GP here in 36 years, the race remains very uncertain.

Is Max Verstappen unbeatable?

It is no secret to anyone: the local driver of the race dominated the Dutch weekend, even though his DRS issue almost allowed his rival Lewis Hamilton to steal the pole position from him, ultimately failing by a mere 38 milliseconds.

Red Bull’s driver is in a strong position for this Grand Prix and could quickly pull away if he manages to stay ahead at the first corner. But Mercedes has a big advantage: Valtteri Bottas. The Finn could try to slow Verstappen down if he stops at the pit before him. The second Red Bull, on the other hand, will only start from the last place. Sergio Perez will therefore not be able to help his teammate.

Will Gasly hold his position against the Ferraris?

In qualifying, Pierre Gasly produced an exceptional qualifying lap (notably going flat-out through turn 7, a feat only replicated by Charles Leclerc), placing himself ahead of the two Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz. However, he has a car that is inferior to the SF21 and it could be difficult for him to hold off the red cars during the race.

Is Ferrari in a good position to regain the advantage over McLaren?

By qualifying in a distant 13th place (bothered by the two red flags caused by consecutive exits of the Williams drivers), Lando Norris expects a complicated race this Sunday, which could make him lose the 3rd place in the championship in favor of Valtteri Bottas, given the overtaking difficulties on this twisty track. Things are not really improving for Daniel Ricciardo, struggling with a lack of confidence behind the wheel of his MCL35M since the start of the season, only qualifying in 10th place.

In this context, Ferrari, whose cars are both starting in the top 5, could temporarily take back the 3rd place in the constructors’ championship, before the race at Monza where the Scuderia may suffer on the straight lines of the speed temple.

Can Giovinazzi score points?

Antonio Giovinazzi secured a superb 7th place in qualifying in his Alfa Romeo in a challenging situation, with his position being threatened for next year. He will have a tough task in the race against the high-flying Alpines.

And Alpine?

The blue single-seaters, precisely, have the opportunity to solidify Enstone’s team’s 5th place in the constructors’ championship. Davide Brivio will be able to count on a fired-up Esteban Ocon and on a Fernando Alonso more motivated than ever.

To do this, we will have to resist the comeback of the McLarens who failed to qualify.

What about the Williams?

Exiting the track in Q2, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi (the latter even suffering a 38G shock by hitting the Tecpro barriers) missed the opportunity to offer Williams a Q3 for both cars. Starting 11th and 14th, they could therefore put on a show in the race this Sunday.

Let us remember that George Russell stepped onto the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix last week.

What can Sergio Perez hope for?

Starting from the back of the grid (due to an engine change after failing to progress from Q1), Perez won’t be able to help his teammate Max Verstappen regain the lead in the drivers’ championship, but he can rely on the pace of his RB16B to potentially climb back into the points, perhaps assisted by a conservative strategy on the hardest tires offered by Pirelli this weekend.

He will be keen to perform well this Sunday, especially since the Austrian team needs big points to take back the lead in the constructors’ championship from Mercedes, of which they are only 7 points behind.

What future lies ahead for Robert Kubica?

This weekend, Robert Kubica is making his return to Formula 1, replacing the soon-to-be retired Kimi Räikkönen, who tested positive for COVID-19 and therefore had to withdraw from this Grand Prix. He qualified just ahead of the two Haas cars but he could quickly find himself in difficulty during the race on a physical circuit challenging his second hand lacking in mobility.