Sunday’s Method 1 Dutch Grand Prix had a bit little bit of every little thing.
Daring overtakes, thrilling battles, three of the largest names within the sport failing to complete the race, and a rookie securing his first podium end.
Let’s revisit all of it with winners and losers from the Dutch Grand Prix.
The one time Isack Hadjar put a foot, or a hand, fallacious through the Dutch Grand Prix?
When he broke his third-place trophy throughout staff photographs following the rostrum celebration, his first in F1.
Aside from that second, it was a “good” week from Hadjar in Zandvoort, as he certified fourth and picked up his first F1 podium with a P3. Alongside the best way, Hadjar fought off each Charles Leclerc and George Russell and was staying inside putting distance of Max Verstappen in entrance of him over the ultimate levels of the race.
“That is what I’ve all the time dreamed of, and it feels unimaginable, I’m completely over the moon,” mentioned Hadjar after his first podium celebration, however actually not his final. “The staff has labored so onerous to get us right here right this moment, and I couldn’t be prouder. I didn’t count on right this moment’s end result, however attaining one among my goals makes it much more particular. It was a troublesome race bodily, particularly after the break.
”I had a tough begin, however we did this on pure tempo and benefit. I knew I needed to nail the ultimate security automobile restart, so I defended as onerous as I may and introduced it house. The battles had been intense, particularly within the opening laps, with the stress from different vehicles, however we held robust. There are such a lot of folks to thank, from my household to the Purple Bull household. I hope we are able to carry this momentum into subsequent week and preserve scoring factors.”
His boss hailed his “faultless” race.
“What an unimaginable day! Isack drove a faultless race, it was an ideal weekend for him and it was a really effectively deserved podium,” mentioned Alan Permane after the Dutch Grand Prix. “It might need been an inherited third place, nonetheless Isack put himself within the strongest place potential to try this, which he did the entire race. He excelled all weekend; after such an excellent Qualifying it was good to see the tempo of the automobile within the race and he was working at a really snug 4th place and had no actual threats from behind.”
With that end result, Visa Money App Racing Bulls moved into seventh within the Constructors’ Championship standings with 60 factors, simply two behind fifth-place Aston Martin.
And as we determined throughout Sunday’s Open Thread on the Feed, hats off to the person we now name Dr. Hadjar.
Following a dismal Friday on the Dutch Grand Prix, which Charles Leclerc referred to as “[p]robably the worst Friday of the season,” the Monégasque driver mentioned Ferrari wanted a “miracle” at Zandvoort.
Neither Leclerc nor teammate Lewis Hamilton completed the race, and the staff now limps to their house race at Monza with nothing to indicate for his or her efforts within the Netherlands, and with Hamilton dealing with a five-place grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s race got here to an finish on Lap 23, when he spun off the road and into the barrier at Flip 3. “I wish to apologise to everybody within the staff and to the tifosi, each right here on the monitor and at house — we had hoped to deliver house extra factors right this moment,” mentioned Hamilton following the race.
As for Leclerc, he was effectively within the battle for factors and was working fifth within the closing levels, after a dramatic battle with George Russell.
However on Lap 51, Mercedes referred to as Kimi Antonelli, who was then working behind Leclerc in sixth, in for an additional pit cease and bolted on a recent set of soppy tires. Ferrari then referred to as Leclerc in for a pit cease to cowl off Antonelli, and when Leclerc rejoined the battle, he was alongside the younger Mercedes driver.
Leclerc was on the skin racing line at Flip 3 when Antonelli slid up into him, spinning the Ferrari driver off the racing line and into the barrier, ending his race.
“At this time hurts. It was a troublesome weekend all alongside, and it ended within the worst means,” mentioned Leclerc.
Complicating issues is the truth that Hamilton will begin the Italian Grand Prix — his first race at Monza with Ferrari — with a five-place grid penalty handed out by race stewards for failing to gradual beneath double-yellow flags throughout reconnaissance laps forward of the Dutch Grand Prix.
A Sunday to overlook for Ferrari.
“I believe right this moment was an ideal race,” started Alexander Albon in his post-race media feedback for Williams.
Albon was annoyed on Saturday when his qualifying session resulted in Q2, down in P15. However he made up 5 spots on the opening lap and was in P10 through the early levels, which opened up some technique choices for him and the staff.
When the mud settled and the checkered flag flew, Albon was up in fifth, matching his greatest results of the season. The Williams driver has completed fifth three different instances this season (Australia, Miami, and Imola).
“We had a extremely robust begin after which there was a whole lot of crashes that helped us. I don’t know why there was a lot chaos, however we stored it clear and had race,” continued Albon. “We had been hoping for rain, and by way of race technique it didn’t appear like it was going to be a enjoyable race in any respect, however I believe we made it for ourselves with that robust begin.
”By being P10 by Lap 1, it put us in competition for the remainder of the race. We stored it on monitor and picked up the items of what went on round us and received that P5.
“I’m completely happy to get some good factors particularly as a result of with Isack ending P3, it will be significant for the championship.”
His teammate and rival for the Drivers’ Championship dominated the timing sheets in FP1, FP2, and FP3.
However when the checkered flag flew on the finish of qualifying, it was Oscar Piastri who had captured pole place for the Dutch Grand Prix.
It was one other reminder of what McLaren boss Zak Brown informed me was Piastri’s energy throughout his spectacular rookie season.
“However a whole lot of younger drivers are over-eager on Friday, they usually get themselves in bother, after which they by no means get well and have weekend as a result of they frolicked getting their automobile repaired,“ defined Brown to me in October of 2023.
“Oscar sort of creeps up on it. He makes use of Friday as a check session and that’s precisely what Friday is, a check session. And he doesn’t get, which a whole lot of rookie drivers do get lulled into the ‘I wanna win Friday free observe’ after which they find yourself not specializing in Sunday.
“In order that takes a maturity to have the ability to come right into a race weekend and be, mature sufficient and assured in your individual skills to have a look at the staff timesheet on Friday and go, ‘oh, I’m a bit additional down than I’d prefer to be.’ However that’s as a result of he’s fascinated about Sunday. Not about Friday.”
That maturity performed off once more this week, as Piastri managed to storm into P1 on the finish of Q3, maintain onto P1 over a number of restarts within the Dutch Grand Prix itself, and depart Zandvoort with a commanding 34-point lead over Norris, after his teammate’s MCL39 suffered a failure and Norris endured his first DNF of the season.
Piastri struck a conciliatory notice in his post-race feedback.
“I’m actually happy to return away with the win. I felt in management all through the race and was capable of push and save the place I wanted to. Nevertheless, it was extremely unlucky for Lando as you by no means wish to see your teammate DNF, or acquire factors in that means,” mentioned Piastri.
“I’m very happy with the job we’ve performed and all the work to make sure we may maximise every little thing round right here, enhancing in every single place. Thanks to the staff for his or her work. We’ve nonetheless received a protracted method to go.”
There could also be a protracted method to go, however proper now, Piastri is in command.
When the lights went out on Sunday at Zandvoort, each Haas drivers had been in the back of the sphere. Esteban Ocon aligned in P18 for the beginning whereas Oliver Bearman was on pit lane, the staff having modified energy unit elements to his VF-25 beneath parc ferme situations.
When the checkered flag flew, each Haas drivers had been within the factors.
Given their beginning place, the staff rolled the cube, bolting on onerous tires for the beginning and working deep into the race. When Hamilton’s spin into the wall on Lap 23 introduced out the security automobile, each Ocon and Bearman stayed out, opting to select up monitor place quite than recent rubber.
They waited till the second security automobile, which got here after the Leclerc-Antonelli incident, to make their pit stops. Ocon pitted first on Lap 52 adopted by Bearman on Lap 53, they usually rejoined the battle with Bearman contained in the factors, and Ocon in P11.
Finally, Bearman crossed the road seventh and was promoted to sixth following post-race penalties handed all the way down to Antonelli. These penalties additionally bumped Ocon as much as tenth, after ending eleventh.
“What a race! I’m actually pleased with the staff effort as a result of yesterday was a troublesome day,” mentioned Staff Principal Ayao Komatsu following the Dutch Grand Prix. “From beginning P18 and within the pit lane, the possibilities had been towards us however you’ll be able to by no means hand over, so due to everybody within the staff. We began on the onerous compound and the primary security automobile timing was fully towards us, that was good for medium starters. The response at that time was to remain calm and focus.
”As I all the time say, we should get the fundamentals proper and right this moment I consider we did that, and each drivers had been nice staff gamers, and I can’t fault it. At this time ought to be the benchmark, that is what we are able to do, so let’s do it once more.”
Finally, Aston Martin noticed each Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso end within the prime ten on Sunday, choosing up ten factors to maintain tempo with Williams within the battle for fifth within the Constructors’ Championship standings.
However the staff actually took an attention-grabbing path to these outcomes.
Each Stroll and Alonso had been robust in FP1 on Friday, ending third and fourth, respectively. Nevertheless, issues modified from there. Stroll suffered a tough crash in FP2 that price him the remainder of the session and required a change of chassis for Saturday.
Then Stroll crashed in Q1 of qualifying after he put the left facet of his ARM25 onto the grass and spun into the wall, placing him in the back of the grid when the lights went out on Sunday.
Early contact with Gabriel Bortoleto compelled an early pit cease as effectively for Stroll, nevertheless it labored to his benefit given the 2 Security Automobile durations, and he ended up ending eighth and being promoted to seventh after the penalties handed all the way down to Kimi Antonelli.
As for Alonso, whereas he began tenth, the veteran was working exterior of the factors — and working quite scorching on the radio — halfway by means of the race. However he pitted on Lap 40, shortly earlier than the second Security Automobile, which allowed him to select up some positions on the monitor as the remainder of the sphere got here in for pit stops.
He finally completed ninth and was promoted to eighth with Antonelli’s penalties.
Ten large factors for the staff, regardless of the unorthodox pathways to that end result.
When the story of the 2025 F1 Drivers’ Championship is finally informed, will the picture of Lando Norris on a dune contained in the monitor at Zandvoort, helmet nonetheless on, staring down in despair, inform that story?
Norris was dominant over the three hours of observe forward of the Dutch Grand Prix, however misplaced out on pole place to Piastri by simply 0.012 seconds on Saturday. Nonetheless, beginning second, Norris was in place to select up one other win and shut the hole to Piastri within the championship race.
However he misplaced P2 shortly after the beginning as Max Verstappen, starting the race on a set of soppy tires, gave it every little thing off the road to select up a spot or two. Nonetheless, Norris didn’t panic and settled in behind Verstappen and slowly chipped away on the Purple Bull driver’s benefit. He slid by Verstappen on Lap 9 and remained inside putting distance of Piastri over the majority of the race, together with a pair of Security Automobiles.
He was simply exterior of DRS vary behind Piastri on Lap 65 when the smoke appeared.
His MCL39 had suffered a failure, and the challenger that had powered Norris to 5 wins this season — together with three of the 4 races earlier than the Summer time Break — had let him down for the primary time this yr.
The smoke was out, and Norris was out of the race.
Will he be out of the championship battle now?
“It’s a disgrace to have ended the race like that right this moment, nevertheless it was out of my management and there’s nothing I may have performed in another way. I used to be having race till that time. To have been that near the automobile forward all through the race isn’t straightforward at Zandvoort, so I’m happy with my efficiency. My focus switches straight to Monza,” mentioned Norris after the race.
“Congrats to Oscar and the staff on the win, and congratulations to Isack on his first podium.”
Staff Principal Andrea Stella summed up the day for McLaren this manner:
“At this time we skilled the 2 sides of motorsport. The enjoyment and satisfaction of a victory for McLaren and Oscar with a powerful and assured drive to the Chequered Flag. Total, he ran a clear weekend in some tough situations with spectacular race craft which led him to right this moment’s win.
“On the opposite facet, we have now the ache of Lando’s retirement in the direction of the tip of the race. Lando was in competition to place up battle on the entrance with a 1-2 end wanting very probably. He will be pleased with his efficiency this weekend and can come again stronger subsequent weekend.
“We’ve recognized a problem on the chassis facet, and we are going to do a full evaluate earlier than we go racing once more in Monza. That is the primary technical drawback for the staff after a long term of faultless reliability. Thanks to your complete staff for his or her continued effort which led to a different victory, as we proceed our journey collectively.”
Norris is now 34 factors behind Piastri with 9 race weekends to go. Definitely not an insurmountable hole, in spite of everything, if the outcomes from Sunday are flipped in Monza, Norris can be again inside 9 factors of Piastri, however the 34 factors that separate the 2 teammates signify the largest hole between the 2 this season.
So far as intestine examine moments go for Norris, there will probably be none greater than subsequent week’s Italian Grand Prix.
