Analysis: Things we learned from the Dutch Grand Prix

Formula One returned from its conventional summer season break with a spectacular Dutch Grand Prix because of the climate that made certain the Zandvoort race was a breathless affair from begin to end. F1Technical’s senior author Balázs Szabó analyses the thirty third Dutch Grand Prix.

Driver of the day – After some troublesome races in July, Fernando Alonso displayed a a lot encouraging type at Zandvoort, ending second simply 3.7s behind race winner Max Verstappen. The two-time world champion was voted as the Driver of the Day, having acquired 20.9 per cent of the votes, beating Alexander Albon (14 per cent), Max Verstappen (10.9 per cent) and Pierre Gasly (9.1 per cent).

Pit lane – Red Bull weren’t solely the quickest group on monitor, however they displayed the most convincing efficiency in the pit lane as nicely. The Milton Keynes-based outfit recorded the quickest pit cease, altering the tyres on Max Verstappen’s automobile in simply 2.01s.

McLaren accomplished the second quickest pit stops, servicing each Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in simply 2.27s. Interestinly, neither Ferrari or Mercedes managed to get themselves inside the prime ten on the chart of the pit stops.

Pit stops – Despite pitting 5 occasions, Max Verstappen gained the Dutch Grand Prix on house soil in commanding style. While many assume that this may be a report, the Dutchman himself has already gained an F1 race with 5 pit stops.

At the 2019 German Grand Prix, the rain wreaked havoc at the Hockenheimring as groups desperately modified methods. With the monitor drying up after the begin and additional sudden downpours in the later phases of the race, drivers had been pressured to alter onto slick, moist or intermediate tyres. In the finish, Verstappen got here out victorious whereas conducting 5 pit stops.

However, this isn’t the absolute report as Jenson Button accomplished six pit stops at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix en path to a sensational victory. The Briton had a troublesome begin to his race, making contact along with his team-mate Lewis Hamilton after which Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso and falling again to the final place. He then made his method up by the area and overtook Sebastian Vettel on the final tour of the Montreal race. The 2009 F1 champion performed a complete of six pit stops of which one was a drive-through penalty.

Michael Schumacher’s technique at the 2004 French Grand Prix can be price mentioning as the German beat pole-sitter after which Renault driver Fernando Alonso with a four-stop technique.

The 1993 European Grand Prix, held at Donnington Park, is thought to be one in all the finest ever moist climate F1 races. Despite Ayrton Senna profitable the race, Alain Prost set the report of the most variety of pit stops carried out in a single Grand Prix as the Frenchman performed a staggering seven stops en path to his third place end.

Fastest lap – Fernando Alonso didn’t solely safe his seventh podium end at the Dutch Grand Prix, however he additionally recorded the quickest lap of the race. The Spaniard clocked a 1m13.837s on Lap 56, beating Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton by only a tenth of a second for the quickest race lap.

It marked the first time that the two-time world champion secured a quickest lap in 2023, however he has now joined the group of drivers who’ve already set a quickest race lap this yr at the least as soon as with this gang together with Max Verstappen (6), Lewis Hamilton (2), Sergio Perez (2), George Russell (1) and Zhou Guanyu (1).

Records – Max Verstappen scored his forty sixth profession win, his eleventh victory this yr’s and his ninth consecutive win which noticed him draw stage with Sebastian Vettel. His pole place which he secured in difficult weather conditions was his twenty eighth profession pole place.

Red Bull scored their one hundred and fifth F1 victory and their 14th consecutive triumph since final yr’s season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with which they managed to beat their very own report for the longest profitable streak in F1.

Return – Aston Martin has had a troublesome run of 4 races in July once they had been unable to copy the type they confirmed in the opening a part of the season. But an upgraded flooring seems to elevate their efficiency once more which Fernando Alonso duly used to safe his one hundred and fifth profession and his seventh podium end in 2023 on the race monitor on which Aston Martin made their F1 debut with Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby again in 1959.

This end result additionally noticed the two-time world champion take over a report from seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher with the Spaniard now claiming the report for the longest interval between first and final profession podium finishes.

Overtaking – The Dutch Grand Prix set a brand new report concerning the variety of overtaking manoeuvres. No lower than 186 overtaking manoeuvres had been accomplished throughout the Zandvoort race which is unique pitstops and Lap 1 overtakes. Of these 186 overtaking actions, 59 had been broadcast reside. Fernando Alonso was the driver who performed the highest variety of overtakes with 13.

Double-scorers – Red Bull, McLaren and Alpine had been the solely groups to attain factors with each their vehicles. Ferrari collected factors with Carlos Sainz, Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton, Williams with Alex Albon and Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso.

The debutant – Having served as Red Bull’s reserve driver, Liam Lawson made his Formula One debut on Sunday, changing Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri after the Australian sustained a damaged bone in his hand throughout a crash in the second free follow.

The 21-year-old grew to become the tenth New-Zealander to compete at the pinnacle of motorsport after Bruce McLaren, Tony Shelly, Chris Amon, Denny Hulme, Howden Ganley, Graham McRae, John Nicholson, Mike Thackwell and Brandon Hartley having raced in F1. The most profitable ones had been McLaren and Hulme who gained 4 and eight races respectively.

Title combat – Championship runaway chief Max Verstappen additional prolonged his lead in the Drivers’ Championship. The Dutchman sits atop the standings on 339 factors, 138 factors away from his team-mate Sergio Perez. With Mercedes having displayed encouraging tempo in current months, Lewis Hamilton closed in on third-placed Fernando Alonso in the standings, albeit the Spaniard’s second-place end at Zandvoort implies that he now enjoys a lead of 12 factors over the seven-time world champion.

There was a change between the Ferrari drivers as nicely. Charles Leclerc has had an bettering type in the final race weeks, however his incident with Oscar Piastri on Lap 1 and the subsequent harm to the flooring of his Ferrari SF23 meant that he was pressured to retire from the Dutch Grand Prix. His team-mate Carlos Sainz completed the incident-filled spherical in P5, accumulating 10 factors and overtaking Leclerc in the standings. The Spaniard sits fifth on 102, three factors away from the Monegasque.

Mercedes driver George Russell failed to attain factors after his dismal technique and a late incident with McLaren’s Lando Norris, which means that he failed to attain a single level for the third time in 2023. The former F2 and F3 champion is tied on factors with Leclerc, however the Monegasque’s second-place end at the Austrian Grand Prix means that he’s the higher-placed driver in the standings.

The largest gainer of the Zandvoort race was Pierre Gasly who moved himself as much as P10 in the standings because of his first podium end with Alpine.

Track limits – After this yr’s chaotic Austrian Grand Prix, just one single monitor restrict infringement was registered at the Dutch Grand Prix. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly went extensive at Turn 3 in the opening phases of the race which meant that he had his lap time deleted.

Penalties – A complete of 4 sporting penalties had been handed out at the Dutch Grand Prix. F1 debutant Liam Lawson acquired a 10-second time penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen in the pit lane when AlphaTauri accomplished a double-stack pit cease at the finish of the opening lap.

Sergio Perez was handed out a five-second time penalty for exceeding the pit lane pace restrict of 60 kph by 0.8 kph. The Mexican was referred to as in for moist climate tyres when he encountered a flooded space at the pit entry that triggered him to collide with the wall, stopping him from braking in a well timed method.

Yuki Tsunoda acquired a five-second penalty and two penalty factors after a collision with Mercedes driver George Russell. The Japanese driver was overtaken by the Briton into Turn 1, however he “was on the dirty inside line and having braked later, he then understeered into Russell.”

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen acquired a five-second time penalty that was imposed after the race. The Danish driver appeared to fall greater than 10 automobile lengths of the automobile in entrance at the race resumption. “Multiple times during the two laps behind the safety car he dropped back more than the required ten car lengths, sometimes as far back as 260-270m and then sped forward, all in an attempt to warm his tyres,” learn the FIA assertion.