“It had perhaps taken longer than expected but the result had never really been in doubt”
So says our man Giles Richards from a soggy Zandvoort in his report.
And with that I’ll say bedankt dat je bij mij bent gekomen. Doei.
Alonso looks the happiest of the lot. At least when he collected his trophy, he celebrated like a maniac! How can you lot love that Spanish geezer. I hope he never retires.
After going pointless in the last three races, Gasly will go home with a trophy.
PODIUM FOR PIERRE 💪
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2023
P3 for Gasly, his fourth career podium and his first for @AlpineF1Team 🥳#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/xr9SqH6zkF
Finally, Verstappen:
Incredible. The weather didn’t make it easy. I had goosebumps when they played the anthem at the start. An incredible atmosphere.
I’ll think about [the 10th race win a row] next week. I’ll just enjoy this now.
Now Alonso:
It was a very intense race. We were very very fast. We felt like we pitted one lap too late. We were very competitive. In these conditions you need a car you can trust and I did trust.
Thank you to all the fans. It’s very unique. Three years ago when we cam here I never thought I’d get a podium because we weren’t in that position.
I’m happy for Max. I did think of trying to move after the restart but I realised I wouldn’t be able to exit the second so I stayed second.
Gasly up first:
LET’S GOOOO! What a race. It’s not like a normal podium. I’m so happy for the team to get a P3.
I was upset when I got a five second penalty earlier in thr race. It was a challenging race, very challenging from start to finish, but perfectly executed by the guys.
Fernando Alonso wins the driver of the day vote. Not sure I agree with that.
Gasly on the radio is ecstatic. “Let’s f****** go! What a race!”
He started 12th on the grid and, thanks to Perez’s speeding fine in the pit lane, he’s nabbed a podium place.
Final classification
Perez crosses the line in third but will finish fourth after a five second penalty, handing Gasly a rare podium finish.
1. Verstappen
2. Alonso
3. Gasly
4. Perez
5. Sainz Jr
6. Hamilton
7. Norris
8. Albon
9. Piastri
10. Ocon
Verstappen completes a faultless race
Nine wins in a row. A hat-trick on his home patch. A simply perfect day for Formula 1’s leading man.
Updated
Lap 72/72: On the final lap now and Hamilton and Sainz touch. So close. Neither of them give an inch and the Ferrari holds on to fifth. The Dutch crowd roars as Verstappen comes round for his win.
Lap 71/72: Sainz defends Hamilton. The Ferrari is holding on. Perez is catching Alonso but that’s only to secure third. Alonso likely won’t tussle for a place that’s already his given Perez’ five second penalty. Norris is right behind Hamilton.
Lap 70/72: Norris joins the party and is putting pressure on Hamilton who is right behind Sainz. Gasly in with a shout of a podium as Perez in third has a five second penalty for speeding in the pits. That gap is less than three seconds. Hamilton almost gets past Sainz but can’t make it stick through the chicane.
Lap 69/72: Sainz still edging Hamilton who has more pace. Verstappen has found his groove and has dropped Alonso.
Russell resigns
Tough luck for the Brit who picks up a puncture after a collision with Norris. Race Control will look at that. Russell had the inside line and there’s slight contact. Wing to tyre and that’ll be that.
Updated
Lap 68/72: Sainz is holing up Hamilton. Alonso is keeping pace with Vestappen but can’t reduce the gap below a second.
Lap 67/72: Alonso keeps pace with Verstappen but isn’t close enough to challenge. Hamilton puts pressure on Sainz. Russell gets past Norris with some lovely driving off the conventional driving line. Perez has been nailed for speeding in the pit lane and will face a five second penalty after the race. Alonso is going to have another dip.
Lap 66/72: The safety car will pit after this lap and the drivers will resume with a rolling start. A few drivers are complaining about a lack of temperature in their tyres. Could be some overtaking if they play it right.
Lap 65/72: Just a reminder on how the top 10 is stacked:
Verstappen
Alonso
Perez
Gasly
Sainz Jr
Hamilton
Norris
Russell
Albon
Piastri
They’re out. Behind a safety car, but they’re out.
The safety car will be out for two laps at least. Then there will be two laps without DRS. Eight to go in total.
Race will restart at 16:14 BST
That’s less than 10 minutes away if you’re reading this live. Could be a standing start, which will be fun.
[edit]. BOOO! As I hit ‘publish’ it was decided that we’ll have a rolling start. Safety over entertainment. I mean I get it, but I’m still a little disappointed.
Updated
“What an interesting course. I forgot how banked the turns are. And the overhead shot of the entire course is breathtaking.”
I’m with you, Brock Lohse, it’s a gem.
When I was younger I was obsessed with Grand Turismo Racing on PlayStation and any time I’d curve round a banked turn I’d get a tingle down my neck. I can only imagine what it must be like to arc round one in a F1 car at face melting speeds.
Anne Williams wants to know who gets driver of the day.
She suggests Alonso and that’s a pretty good shout. If he holds on to second it’d be mightily impressive. Of course Verstappen has been faultless.
A forlorn looking Charles Leclerc spoke to Sky Sports.
What exactly is going wrong with his car?
“I mean Carlos is doing well at the moment, I think we expected a strong race pace in general even though it’s been an extremely difficult race and weekend for us in terms of balance, but yeah for me I can’t comment much, after the damage in Lap One it was really difficult.””
There’s a rainbow over the deer park. Lovely. OK, enough of this. Can we have some motor racing please?
The Dutch fans are still dancing. Standing in the rain, wearing plastic ponchos, this group is sending it! Champions.
Stay with us. We’ll be back soon:
The worst of the rain has passed but it's still very wet out there ☔️#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/DLhzztnqtP
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2023
Here’s how they’ll line-up once we get going. First they need to fix the barrier which was damaged by Zhou’s car and then they’ll likely wait another 10 minutes for the rain to ease.
Verstappen
Alonso
Perez
Gasly
Sainz Jr
Hamilton
Norris
Russell
Albon
Piastri
Ocon
Tsunoda
Stroll
Bottas
Lawson
Magnussen
Zhou, Leclerc and Sargeant have all retired.
Perez will restart the race in third.
A lifeline for Perez from race control. He’ll resume in third, which, on balance, seems fair. Or fairish at least.
“It seems all are unavoidably literally ‘taking the plunge’ as you said earlier.”
Looks like it, Robert Kinnear. I also suggested the drivers race around on bicycles for one lap. Maybe we can complete the final 10 in this race on paddle boats.
Zhou is OK. He completely aquaplane and was a passenger as his car crashed into the barrier. Tsunoda and Hamilton also lost control but were saved by the gravel.
RED FLAG
The race has been brought to a halt because of the rain. There’s a question concerning Perez. Red Bull decided to bring him in for full wets and couldn’t return as the pit lane was closed. But that’s when the race was red flagged leaving him stranded in sixth. If we don’t get going again that’s where he’ll stay.
Updated
Zhou crashes into the barriers
As the rain lashes down, Zhou spins off. That’s the end of what was a decent race.
Lap 64/72: Replays show that Perez hit the barrier. He’s lucky to still be out there. Verstappen pits for extreme wets. It’s lashing down. Zhou hits the barriers. We might go full safety car.
Perez spins off and Alonso takes second
It’s bucketing down and Perez loses it. He gets back out there but Alonso steals second place.
Updated
Lap 63/72: Ocon on the full wets. Could that a gamble that pays off? Perez spins off and loses second!
Lap 62/72: Verstappen stops and comes out with intermediates. He returns back in front. Alonso comes in as well. Albon doesn’t pit and is up to third but is expected to come in. Ocon doesn’t want to pit but is told he has to. Sainz is back out in fifth. Ocon the big loser in all this. He’s down to 11th.
Lap 61/72: It’s started! It’s now chucking down! Perez has stopped. Gasly and Sainz too. Hamilton pits but Ocon stays out. So did Verstappen and Alonso. Everyone moves to intermediates but do they need more?
Lap 60/72: Hamilton is a few metres behind his teammate Russell who touched the grass on a corner and almost lost his car. He kept it on the track with lightning reflexes. He now moves out of the way and allows Hamilton into seventh. Gasly produces a quality bit of driving to pass Sainz. It’s raining over turn one.
Top 10:
Verstappen
Perez
Alonso
Gasly
Sainz
Albon
Hamilton
Russell
Ocon
Norris
Lap 59/72: Hamilton up to eighth with an easy pass on Ocon. It’s still dry but we have been promised rain. Two minutes away apparently.
Lap 58/72: Gasly now within touching distance of Sainz. Remember that Gasly does have a five second penalty. That’s so tight but Sainz just about squeezes him out.
Lap 57/72: Alonso sets another fastest lap of the race. Everyone is pushing to create a gap before they have to pit. Alonso is chasing second place though. Gasly is right behind Sainz.
Lap 56/72: Albon passes Russell and Hamilton passes Norris. Alonso sets the fastest lap.
Lap 55/72: Norris and Hamilton both passes Tsunoda. We’ve just been told that the rain that will come will be heavier than it was at the start of the race. Standby. This could be chaotic.
Top 10:
Verstappen
Perez
Alonso
Sainz Jr
Gasly
Russell
Albon
Ocon
Norris
Hamilton
Lap 54/72: “We’re expecting rain and some of it could be heavy.” That’s according to the Red Bull team. Norris is right behind Tsunoda in ninth. Verstappen takes back the honours for fastest lap of the race.
Lap 53/72: Albon passes Tsunoda into seventh. Russell is up to sixth. Tsunoda is defending against Ocon with Norris just behind. The Japanese driver was looking good for a point but a poor decision to keep him out could cost him by the end.
Alonso back into third
Lap 52/72: Alonso makes it look so easy. He simply breezes past Sainz. I thought that would be a lot harder than that.
Lap 51/72: Alonso is flying and has just set the fastest lap of the race. We could have a blockbuster finish in the battle for third. Less than half a second separates the Ferrari and the Aston Martin behind.
Lap 50/72: Alonso passes Tsunoda but has a tough job chasing Sainz. Can he do it and regain third. Russell is chasing Tsunoda who has just been passed by Gasly.
Top 10:
Verstappen
Perez
Sainz
Alonso
Gasly
Tsunoda
Russell
Albon
Ocon
Norris
Aston Martin make a mess of Alonso's pit
The Spaniard was cruising for a third place finish but a complication with the front left holds him back by five seconds and allows Sainz Jr to pass him.
Lap 49/72: Alonso is being called in to pit so Perez moves into second. But Alonso’s pit goes terribly wrong! Sainz moves into third. Alonso lost about five seconds there. Disaster for Aston Martin. Tsunoda also passes him.
Lap 48/72: Russell is chasing Gasly. But Gasly has new tyres and Russell does not. Perez sets the fastest lap from third but Alonso in second has to pit. Sainz passes Tsunoda in fourth. Not sure why Tsunoda hasn’t come in to the pits yet.
Lap 47/72: Still no rain but dark clouds are gathering. Gasly pits from fourth and emerges behind Sainz. Ferrari managed to do something right it seems. Russell will stay out for the duration and is right behind Gasly.
Lap 46/72: Gasly up to third and Alonso into second after Perez pits. Hamilton comes in for a new set of softs.
Lap 45/72: Albon finally pits for the first time. Tsunoda has Hamilton on his tail but repels him. Norris with the fastest lap. Perez getting the call to come get some new kicks.
Lap 44/72: It’s the deep breath before the plunge. A few pits incoming.
Lap 43/72: Norris pits and rejoins in 14th but could undercut Tsunoda in sixth once everything settles. Russell is quietly having a decent few laps and is up to 11th. Verstappen is 8.1 seconds ahead of Perez. Ocon pits but Sainz sets the fastest lap.
Leclerc retires
The Ferrari won’t emerge from the pits. A horrid day for Leclerc comes to an end.
Lap 42/72: Sainz pits from fifth and rejoins in 11th. Gasly, who was ahead of him, must still cop a five second penalty so there’s some breathing room for the Ferrari. Leclerc retires. “The situation is getting worse,” says his crew manager. No kidding.
Lap 41/72: Lawson completes the move. He’s up to 15th with a brilliant move. But Leclerc takes the position back.
Lap 40/72: Lawson on F1 debut is about to pass Leclerc’s Ferrari. What a dream. The Sky commentators are baffled by the lack of pace by the Ferrari.
Lap 39/72: Leclerc is going backwards. Verstappen cruising up ahead. Decision time for teams as the rain approaches.
Updated
Lap 38/72: “Rain expected in five six minutes, but it’ll be very light”. That’s from Red Bull to their leading man. Zhou pits and puts on soft compounds. Piastri is chasing Hamilton in 10th but Hamilton is chasing Norris ahead.
Lap 37/72: Verstappen with another fastest lap. He’s absolutely smashing this. Stroll in 19th pits for the fourth time today. He’s not having as much fun. Russell passes Leclerc into 14th who appears to be driving a red London bus rather than a Ferrari.
Lap 36/72: Rain imminent. A chance to give you the top 10 before they pit.
Verstappen
Perez
Alonso
Gasly
Sainz Jr
Albon
Ocon
Tsunoda
Norris
Hamilton
Lap 35/72: Albon is starting to complain about his tyres. He’s yet to pit. The only driver still on his original boots.
Lap 34/72: Piastri passes Zhou. In fact Zhou moved out of the way and allowed the Aussie to keep the racing line. Albon is chasing Sainz in fifth.
Thanks to everyone for informing me on the tragic accident here.
According to Kaspar Damm:
“That sounds like the horrific crash by Piers Courage in 1970. Sadly it was fatal, but consensus appears to be that Courage was killed by a wheel that broke off and hit his head and not the subsequent fire.”
But there’s also this:
Sounds like Roger Williamson 1973 (sadly he died)
— Jack @ HK (@fsjacktweets) August 27, 2023
Lap 33/72: Hamilton in the points as we makes an easy pass on Zhou. Gasly has dropped Sainz for now. Either the Ferrari is struggling to keep pace or they’re biding their time. Verstappen sets yet another fastest lap. He’s four and a half seconds ahead of Perez.
Lap 32/72: Norris goes round the outside of Zhou into ninth. Tsunoda is within touching distance as well. Hamilton behind this train. “Drops to a light shower in 10 minutes,” according the Ferrari pit wall.
Lap 31/72: “Darker clouds coming in”. That’s the message from Verstappen to his team. Tsunoda passes Zhou into ninth. Zhou remains the only driver in the top 13 on mediums.
Lap 30/72: Perez and Alonso are both settling down and conserving their tyres. Piastri is doing no such thing. He passes Magnussen into 12th with a screeching overtake. Both McLarens on the charge.
Here’s the top 10”
Verstappen
Perez
Alonso
Gasly
Sainz Jr.
Albon
Ocon
Zhou
Tsunoda
Norris
Lap 29/72: Verstappen sets another fastest lap. Tsunoda gets a warning as well and Hamilton is up to 11th. Magnussen is going backwards and is down the 12th.
Lap 28/72: Norris slides past Magnussen. He started on the front row and is back in the points in 10th.
Lap 27/72: Verstappen now moves three seconds clear of Perez. Alonso is catching up from third.
Updated
Lap 26/72: Piastri passes Lecelerc. Great driving from the Aussie. Zhou is having a solid day out in seventh. Gasly still keeping Sainz Jr at bay.
Lap 25/72: Magnussen has been shown the black and white flag which is a warning for dangerous driving. He was a little over eager when defending against Albon. Hamilton passes Leclerc down the inside into 12th.
Lap 24/72: Piastri passes Bottas to take 14th. A slick move. Now Verstappen has the fastest lap.
Lap 23/72: Verstappen opening up a lead. Perez’ job will be to keep the rest of the pack at bay. Magnussen loses another place to Ocon and has Tsunoda eyeing him up from 10th. Hamilton in 13th has the fastest lap of the race. Russell on the hard compound tyres in 18th is waiting for his time to strike later in the race.
Lap 22/72: Verstappen opens up a one second lead over Perez. Sainz in Gasly’s slipstream can’t make the move. Albon, yet to pit, passes Magnussen.
Lap 21/72: The safety car pits and Perez does well to hang on the coattails of Verstappen after the restart. Alonso, Gasly and Sainz are all locked in a tight battle for third but stay in the same order. Sainz needs to clear Gasly quickly. The Ferrari has pace.
Lap 20/72: Still under a safety car but will pit after this lap. Gasly in fifth has a five second penalty to come. Might as well give you the full grid:
Verstappen
Perez
Alonso
Gasly
Sainz Jr.
Zhou
Magnussen
Albon
Ocon
Tsunoda
Norris
Leclerc
Hamilton
Piastri
Hulkenberg
Russell
Lawson
Stroll
Sargeant the only driver out. It was his shunt that brought out the safety car.
Lap 20/72: Earlier, Ferrari made a proper mess of their pit stop as Leclerc arrived for a fresh set of boots but no one was ready for him. Apparently there was a late change of heart to move to the inters. The call came from the driver. Incredible how this team continues to drop the ball. Lecerlc, having started ninth, is down to 12th.
Does anyone have any more on this? I can’t recall and can’t do the required googling…
Maybe it's the sand dunes, but I vividly recall a crash and inferno at Zandvoort @danielgallan. I think there were no fatalities, but I shan't link in case there were.
— Gary Naylor 85 (@garynaylor85) August 27, 2023
Amazing to think that such footage was commonplace on mid-afternoon weekend TV within my lifetime.
Lap 19/72: Haas boss Guenther Steiner is talking to the commentators and getting praise for his pit strategy. Magnussen is flying in seventh after starting in 18th.
Lap 18/72: Safety car still out. Albon in eighth has yet to put. How he’s managed that on the softs from the start is impressive.
Updated
Lap 17/72: Lap 16 meandered about with a safety car so let’s jump ahead.
Here’s the top 10 still following the safety car:
Verstappen
Perez
Alonso
Gasly
Sainz Jr.
Zhou
Magnussen
Albon
Ocon
Tsunoda
More rain about half an hour away.
Correction: It was Sargeant, not Piastri, who crashed.
Sergeant clatters the wall
That’s our first incident and we have a safety car. The America has hammered the barricades at a fast corner. Hard to tell how he’s chonked it there. “I don’t know what happend,” he says.Full safety car which means the field will bunch up.
Updated
Lap 15/72: Verstappen starting to disappear. Alonso holding onto third.
Andy Flintoff (not that one he says) has been in touch:
“The fact that F1 races through changing conditions probably places it ahead of some other racing formulae where the merest drop is enough to suspend or halt completely. Besides, dealing with the weather allows drivers (and teams) to show how adaptable they are. For instance, Senna wasn’t just good in the dry; he was very good in the wet too (as Donington in 1993 showed).”
Look, it’s been a boring season. But when this sport puts on a proper show, it’s hard to beat.
Lap 14/72: Russell is fuming. He was on for a podium finish and is down to 18th. He is livid with his team and is asking “How did we get that wrong?” There’s a great scrap between Sainz Jr and Gasly for fourth. Piastri sets the fastest lap.
Lap 13/72: Perez in the pits. Verstappen in the lead and the team radio confirms that is no coincidence. Zhou on the mediums is losing ground. Sainz Jr into fifth. Hamilton down in 16th but making moves.
Lap 12/72: Norris, on soft tyres in 12th, has just set the fastest lap. Alonso into third ahead of Gasly. The Spaniard pulled off a tasty move diving down the inside of Zhou. That’s his second overtake of the race.
Lap 11/72: Verstappen pits. So does Gasly. They both energe with soft tyres. Leclerc follows their example. The order is a mess. This is great fun. Perez remained out there and has a 20 second lead over his teammate.
Lap 10/72: Hamilton finally pits. he rejoins in 18th place on the soft tyres. With the track drying that might help him move up the field. A load of drivers ahead of him pit to change from the intermediates. Alonso, Zhou and Sainz Jr among them. But more rain may be on the way.
Top 10 as it’s unfolding:
Perez
Verstappen
Gasly
Leclerc
Alonso
Zhou
Sainz Jr
Magnussen
Tsunoda
Ocon
Lap 9/72: Versstappen now less than five seconds behind Perez. Gasly has caught Zhou in third.
“I’m only watching your live commentary but sounds like the race should be stopped if it’s that dangerous”
Glad to have you, Anne Williams. But don’t worry, nothing too dangerous. Just some good old fashioned racing. Besides, it’s drying out every lap.
Lap 8/72: Leclerc has front wing damage but is still ahead of Sainz Jr. His pit crew have got on the radio and informed him that his car is running slow. A not so sublte message there and Leclerc moves aside. Sainz Jr now chasing Alonso five seconds up the road. Norris passes Lawson to 11th.
Lap 7/72: Verstappen up to second now as he breezes past Zhou. He’s 10 seconds behind his teammate. Scratch that, he’s eight seconds behind. Now seven. He’s eating up the track. That last lap was four seconds faster than his teammate.
Lap 6/72: Verstappen passes Gasly after almost making contact. That’s the aggressive Max we fell in love with. Zhou in second is further ahead in the pack than he’s ever been. Leclerc leads his Ferrari teammate in 6th. There’s a penalty for debutant Lawson.
Lap 5/72: The track is starting to dry. Here’s what the top 10 looks like:
Perez
Zhou
Gasly
Verstappen
Leclerc
Alonso
Sainz
Tsunoda
Magnussen
Ocon
Lap 4/72: The rain has stopped. Still a very wet track. Zhou into second. Perez leads. Verstappen right behind Gasly for the battle for third. Perez going in early has paid off. He’s 14 seconds up the road.
Lap 3/72: Perez up to fifth, now third, he’s on the right tyres. Norris goes wide and Perez is second. He then breezes past Russell into first. Those intermediate tyres have given him 15 seconds over one lap. Verstappen and Alonso on the intermediates as well but a lap behind. Leclerc goes into the gravel on the intermediates. Zhou into third. It’s madness out there.
Lap 2/72: Bottas is up to 9th after starting 19th. Magnussen pits. So does Verstappen and Alonso. Russell and Norris are battling for the lead. They’ve both gambled staying out.
Lap 1/72: It starts to pour with rain! Perez pits, so does Leclerc but the Ferraris weren’t ready for him. What a shambles. There were no tyres ready. Alonso up to second. It’s bucketing down.
Verstappen safely through the first corner
The lights go out and away they go. The champion is clear, as is Norris behind him. verstappen already has a lead established. Alonso makes a move past Russell and Albon into fifth.
They’re all round the warm-up lap. No rain just yet. Just about ready to go…
In case you had any doubts about today’s result, Verstappen has converted all 11 of his previous poles into victories. The man is unstoppable.
But looks like imminent rain. Five minutes apparently. Could that have any impact on the winning machine?
Not long to go.
If Verstappen wins today he’ll equal another F1 record. It’d be his ninth consecutive win, matching the current record set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013.
He’s already the youngest driver to win a race – which he achieved as an 18-year-old at the 2016 Spanish GP – and is fifth on the all-time race-winner’s charts with 45. Once he goes on to win this season’s title he’ll have four championships in a row, putting him level with Vettel and the great Juan Manuel Fangio.
As the national anthem rings out, dark clouds begin to form. Rain is expected at some point, more towards the front of the race, which could make things interesting.
George Russell from third has conceded that he doesn’t have the pace to compete with Verstappen.
“He’s in a bit of a league of his own at the moment. But I’m confident Lando and I can have a good fight.”
Liam Dawson, the 21-year-old Kiwi, who replaced Riccardio for the weekend, is speaking on Sky’s coverage. He’s never driven the car on high fuel. But he can take some confidence with him.
He’s raced in Formula First, Formula Four, Formula Ford, Forumla Three Asia and the Toyota Racing Series and won on his debut in each.
Perhaps he’ll win today? Would be some drive from 20th on the grid.
Just for fun, and in honour of their hosts, the drivers should race one lap on bicycles. Who do you reckon would win?
It’s four wheels on track, and two wheels almost everywhere else this weekend at Zandvoort! 🚴
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2023
Drivers and fans have hopped on their bikes in their thousands to help do their bit for the environment 🍃#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/2n9yKhg9dp
Half an hour to go and the crowd looks AMAZING! Dutch fans do it differently, don’t they? I know it’s easy to over egg this narrative but it’s always great seeing the Orange Army out in force.
You might have noticed an absentee on the starting grid. Daniel Ricciardo broke his wrist during Friday’s practice when he collided with fellow Aussie, Oscar Piastri, and won’t be taking part today.
Riccairdo only just returned to a F1 seat when he finished 13th in Hungary last month. He followed that up with a 16th place finish in Belgium.
I know I speak for many when I say it’s been disappointing seeing a driver with so much promise fail to deliver. Anyway, let’s wish him a speedy recovery.
Updated
Here's how they line up
Verstappen will start on pole (again) after denying Lando Norris. It’s a mixed bag for the Birts as Haimlton ended the qualification a disappointing 13th.
Verstappen (Red Bull)
Norris (McLaren)
Russell (Mercedes)
Albon (Williams)
Alonso (Aston Martin)
Sainz Jr. (Ferrari)
Perez (Red Bull)
Piastri (McLaren)
Leclerc (Ferrari)
Sargeant (Willaims)
Stroll (Aston Martin)
Gasly (Apline)
Hamilton (Mercedes)
Hulkenberg (Haas)
Zhou (Alfa Romeo)
Ocon (Alpine)
Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
Magnussen (Haas)
Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Lawson (AlphaTauri)
Here’s how Giles Richards saw it:
Updated
Preamble
G’day folks, and welcome to Max Verstappen’s 46th career win and his third on his home track.
OK, there are 72 laps separating him and the checkered flag of the Dutch Grand Prix at the CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, but really, that just feels like a formality.
Lewis Hamilton warned that Red Bull could go the entire season undefeated but he might as well have narrowed that down to Verstappen.
The reigning champion has claimed the top prize in 10 of the 12 races so far with his teammate, Sergio Perez, winning the other two.
Verstappen starts on pole today with 314 points on the board. Perez in second has 189. Somewhere on the wrong side of the horizon is Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin with 149 in third.
Has this rendered the 2023 campaign a boring, predictable procession? I’ll let you be the judge. We live in hope for a bit of competition. Perhaps today will be the day?
Want to get something off your chest? I’ll take anything you have. Lamentations, joyous tidings, technical observations, I welcome them all.
My name is Daniel. Do write in or drop a line on X (details at the top).
The lights go out at 2pm BST.
