Well, the summer break is over and Formula 1 is back, this time at the Dutch Grand Prix, which, barring any surprises, has been the last race at this circuit since the contract hasn’t been renewed for the coming years.
What’s the headline of the race?
Let’s see, for me the big winner has been Antonelli, but watch out for Norris. It seems Mercedes has already decided that his teammate Russell is not a title candidate. At the end of the race, the pit wall ordered him to move aside to let his teammate through. In the end, Antonelli did what he had to do, which was finish ahead of Russell and Hamilton, his title rivals.
Even so, the race was won by Norris, showing a clear improvement in performance, although he’s still very far from the championship lead. I don’t see him catching up if Antonelli stays more or less consistent.
It’s Holland Goguma. What did Verstappen do?
This weekend Verstappen’s contract renewal with Red Bull until 2030 had been announced, and what better way to celebrate it than by crashing the car, haha. No, seriously, the accident could have been serious because he ended up in the middle of the track on the first lap while the pack was still bunched up. Bad result, but he can be glad it wasn’t worse and that he walked away on his own two feet.
Leclerc and team orders
Another thing I didn’t like was Leclerc’s attitude. To set the scene, in the final third of the race, Leclerc was in fourth position, but Hamilton was coming from behind faster with fresher tires, trying to catch up to Russell. In other words, the logical option for the team was for Leclerc to move aside and let his teammate through, but Leclerc didn’t feel like it when he had nothing to gain. I, at least, didn’t understand it. They had to bring him into the pits to let Hamilton pass. That’s not how it works, and it’s not the first time Leclerc has done this. Now was not the time to be selfish.
Aston Martin surprised further back
What surprised me was Aston Martin’s race performance. Alonso pulled off a miracle and finished ninth, scoring two points. A remarkable feat with this car, although it seems the latest upgrades have allowed them to progress. Even so, the Honda engine still hasn’t evolved enough and remains one of the worst cars on the straights, but in the corners the performance is promising. In qualifying, performance is still very poor. We’ll have to see how it evolves, but Monza is scary with its long straights. Tough races are coming up.
Sainz’s worst weekend
This weekend at Williams started with the announcement of both drivers’ contract renewals, but the result was bad. The car is slow while waiting for new upgrades, but Sainz stood out for the wrong reasons. He finished behind his teammate and, on top of that, made a mistake at the end of the race and took his teammate out. In the end, race ruined and a penalty for the Madrid native. A race to forget, but well, better to make mistakes in races where there’s nothing at stake, but no more of that.
So, did you enjoy the race? Were you expecting Norris’s victory? Let me know in the comments.
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