The 2022 Dutch Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2022) is a Formula One motor race held on 4 September 2022 at Circuit Zandvoort in Zandvoort, Netherlands. The race runs over a distance of 72 laps and is the 34th overall running of the Dutch Grand Prix and the 32nd time the event has been held as part of the Formula One World Championship, as well as the 32nd World Championship race held at Circuit Zandvoort. The event is held across the weekend of the 2–4 September. It is the fifteenth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship. Max Verstappen leads the Drivers' Championship by 93 points from teammate Sergio Pérez, with Charles Leclerc third, a further 5 points behind. Red Bull Racing team leads the Constructors' Championship, leading Ferrari by 118 points and Mercedes by 159 points. On the eve of the previous Belgian Grand Prix, Alpine's Spanish driver and two-time World Champion in the category with the French team under the Renault name in 2005 and 2006, Fernando Alonso, signs a multi-year agreement with the British stable Aston Martin, replacing German Sebastian Vettel, who, on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix, announced his retirement from the category after fifteen seasons. Confirmed alongside Alonso is the other driver from the British stable, Canadian Lance Stroll. Alpine, as a replacement for Alonso, initially officiates the 2021 Formula 2 champion and reserve driver of the French team, Australian Oscar Piastri. Later, the driver denies having signed an agreement with the French team and says he will not race for the team in the following season. Alpine, however, says it correctly exercised a clause in the Australian driver's contract.
"On Monday the Commission will determine the recognition of the contract with Oscar, which is why we announced him as our driver for next year. However, he also signed with McLaren, and in Formula 1 you cannot sign two contracts. That is why we will go before the CRB. We know that our contract is valid, and now it is up to this body to decide. When Jenson Button was between BAR and Williams in 2005, it took two days to resolve the issue".
The Federation's Contract Recognition Commission meets with the parties involved on the Monday after the Belgian race is held to determine in the following days what will be a valid agreement between the driver and one of the two teams between Alpine and McLaren, the other manufacturer flanked by the Australian driver's future. On the eve of the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday, September 2, 2022, it officially exposes itself on the dispute involving the Australian driver, stating that Piastri's only valid contract for 2023 and 2024 is the one signed with McLaren on July 4, 2022, the day after the British Grand Prix was held. The British manufacturer thus formalizes Piastri's signing for next season alongside British driver Lando Norris, replacing Ricciardo. Oscar Piastri said:
"I'm extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and I'm very grateful for the opportunity that's been offered to me. The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I'm looking forward to working hard alongside Lando to push the team towards the front of the grid. I'm focused on preparing for my F1 debut in 2023 and starting my F1 career in papaya".
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, adds:
"The entire team is delighted to welcome Oscar to McLaren for the 2023 F1 season. He has an impressive racing career to date, and we are sure that together with Lando, he will be able to help us move another step forward towards our ambitions. We still have an important job to do this season which the team remains focused on, before we will then ensure Oscar is integrated into the team as quickly as possible and ready for the challenges ahead. We look forward to preparing for an exciting 2023 season together".
And Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, concludes:
"Oscar is one of the up-and-coming talents coming through the feeder series into F1 and we are delighted to see him join the team for 2023. Winning both F3 and F2 in successive rookie seasons is a real achievement and testament to his talent in single-seater racing. In Lando and Oscar we have a young, exciting F1 line-up with a huge amount of potential, standing us in good stead to achieve our future ambitions. Oscar is an exciting addition to the McLaren family, and we look forward to seeing him grow with our F1 team".
Oscar Piastri chooses 81 as the race number. Alpine is forced to pay McLaren and Piastri a total of £530.000 in legal fees.
"We take note of the decision, the case is closed and we will not appeal. We will notify our driver pair in due course. Now our focus will be all on the Dutch Grand Prix and the fight for fourth place in the Constructors' standings".
In the meantime, the Federation is considering whether there are grounds to grant Colton Herta, U.S. IndyCar Series driver for the team, also of the same nationality, Andretti Autosport, a super-license, which is 40 points away from being finally obtained. Herta, who holds the record for the youngest driver to win an IndyCar Series race, at 18 years, 11 months and 28 days, has been approached in recent weeks by Italian manufacturer AlphaTauri, should the team's current driver, Frenchman Pierre Gasly, be let go to drive for transalpine manufacturer Alpine in place of Spaniard Fernando Alonso. On Thursday, September 1, 2022, the reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen, is appointed an officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau. It, of a chivalrous-military type, is the third largest in the Netherlands. Verstappen's appointment comes on the heels of the drivers' title he achieved the previous season.
"The appointment as an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau is a very proud moment for me and came unexpectedly at the beginning of my career. I want to thank my family and loved ones, but also Red Bull, which has been like a second family to me. We have achieved this together: we share the same beliefs and values, which is very important to me. I could not have done this without you. And while I am very proud of what we have achieved, this is just the beginning, and I can assure you that we will still be working hard for many years to come".
Talking about the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix,, at Scuderia Ferrari, Marco Adurno, Head of vehicle performance, explains his passion for motorsport and how he managed to get to Ferrari:
"My passion dates back to when I was a child, when I watched Formula 1 in my father’s arms and dreamed of one day being part of this world. It remained a dream until 2007, when I got the opportunity to join an English team, which set me on the path to fulfilling my desire to join Scuderia Ferrari, which I did in 2019".
On the characteristics of the Zandvoort track, Adurno declares:
"his track now has a completely different layout to that used in the Eighties, when the Grand Prix was a fixture on the calendar (up until 1985). Now it features a long sequence of medium and high speed corners that are very demanding for both car and driver. Steep banking of some corners is a unique feature with T3 and T14 banked to no less than 16 degrees".
The circuit is very heavy on the tires and regarding this aspect, he argues:
"The characteristics of the track mean it is very hard on the tyres, especially the front ones. The key for qualifying is to run with high levels of aerodynamic balance in the medium and high speed corners, without compromising car stability. When it comes to the race, you are then looking for the right mix between a set-up that is kind on tyres, but still allows the drivers to use them the way he wants".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is happy to be back on track immediately after the Belgian Grand Prix and hopes to be able to get closer to his rivals with his car:
"After the race at Spa-Francorchamps it’s great to have the chance to get straight back onto the track here in the Netherlands. This is a circuit with totally different characteristics and I expect that we will be back to being much closer to our main rivals from this year. We shouldn’t forget that for 13 races out of 14 we have been competitive and I can’t imagine that we will see at Zandvoort a similar performance gap to the one from Belgium. When you are at Ferrari everything is amplified: the affection of the tifosi when you win and their disappointment when you don’t succeed. It’s the same for the criticisms of the people watching, because I can assure you that we are making fewer mistakes than others but we are always in the spotlight. When you are at Ferrari it’s like this, and we know it. But we must never forget the jump in performance that we have made compared to last year. We have come back to fighting for victories and we want to continue to improve, pushing all the way to the end of the season".
The other Ferrari driver, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, analyzes the characteristics of the Zandvoort track and hopes to be able to return to his level of competitiveness with the car, also focusing on the next weekend that includes the team’s Grand Prix:
"The Zandvoort track favours higher downforce so I think we will return to our usual level of competitiveness. Everyone in the team has a big desire to do well and it’s also Carlos’ birthday so it would be great to celebrate that with a one-two - albeit with me ahead of him… We haven’t yet finished analysing all the data we collected but if nothing else we have some interesting pointers, not least because the next race will be at Monza where it’s crucial for us to do well given that it’s our home race. We have a good relationship with Max, there’s lots of respect, so I don’t expect to be booed - even if my target will be to ruin the party both for him and his fans… It’s clear that if they are wearing orange they aren’t here to cheer for Ferrari, but fair enough! Next week at Monza I expect that most of the spectators will be wearing red and supporting us".
On Friday, the teams are ready for the two sessions of free practice, with warmer weather conditions than those of last week in Belgium, an air temperature of 21 degrees Celsius and a track temperature of 29 °C. The first free practice sees George Russell set the fastest lap in 1'12"455 with his teammate Lewis Hamilton in second place just 0.240 seconds behind. Carlos Sainz manages to put his Ferrari in third place in 1'12"845, more than 3 seconds behind Russel, while the Monegasque Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari struggles a little bit and finishes just sixth in 1'13"127. McLaren has a positive day, putting both car in top five, with Lando Norris (1'12"929) fourth ahead of the “honey badger” Daniel Ricciardo (1'13"077). Championship leader Max Verstappen, who triumphed in Zandvoort last year, completes only seven laps and then stops the car due to a gearbox issue causing a red flag at the beginning of the practice. His Mexican teammate has a struggling session, running wild at turn 9, almost hitting the wall and finishing seventh behind Leclerc. The two Alpine and Alexander Albon’s William close the top ten. At the end of Friday's FP1, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. are summoned by the stewards as the British Mercedes driver has obstructed the Spanish Ferrari driver at Turn 12 and Turn 13; Hamilton does not receive penalties. Sebastian Vettel and Lando Norris are summoned as the German driver has obstructed the British McLaren driver at the same two corners; neither Vettel receives penalties. In the early afternoon, before the start of the FP2, McLaren announces what has been rumbling for some time: the Australian talent Oscar Piastri will join the British team for the 2023 Fia Formula 1 Championship in place of Daniel Ricciardo. He signed a multi-year contract. McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl says:
"We are super happy to have Oscar with us alongside Lando, super exciting. In terms of personality, he's a perfect fit into our team. We wanted to have him on board and he wanted to be with us, so we are very happy".
So he adds:
"We are absolutely convinced about his talent and potential. He's young, full of energy and the right amount of self-confidence. Regarding the decision with Daniel, I think we have everything said last week and I have nothing to add. We want to finish the season on a high with Daniel and we are committed to that, I'm far away from putting any blame on Daniel that we are not in P4 at the moment, we need to give a quicker car to the guys. We believe in Oscar, we have Lando on board that has shown he's one of the best in the paddock".
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, states:
"Oscar is one of talents coming through the feeder series into F1 and we are delighted to see him join the team for 2023. Oscar is an exciting addition to the McLaren family, and we look forward to seeing him grow with our F1 team".
The young Aussie is more than excited to make his Formula 1 debut next year:
"I’m extremely excited to be making my F1 debut with such a prestigious team as McLaren and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that’s been offered to me. The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance, and I’m looking forward to working hard alongside Lando to push the team towards the front of the grid. I’m focused on preparing for my F1 debut in 2023 and starting my F1 career in papaya".
The sun is shining in Zandvoort, as the temperatures steadily increase, ahead of the second practice of the day which starts at 4.15 p.m. local time, as a consequence of a late red flag in FIA Formula 2: the marshals needed to recover Daruvala's car and get rid of any remain gravel. The crowd here to support Max Verstappen was really disappointed in FP1, when their idol stopped out on track with a gearbox issue, but the good news is that the team have fixed his car in time for FP2. At the end of the session it’s a Ferrari 1-2: Leclerc is on top with a time of 1'12"345 and Sainz just 0.004s behind. Ferrari seem to be again competitive as they showed a good race pace. In third place Hamilton sets a time of 1'12"417, while Russell (1'12"41), the fastest in the morning, is only fifth, preceded by Norris in fourth position. Verstappen, after the morning issues, makes just one quick attempt on used tyres and takes the eighth place in 1'13"042, while Perez, who is still struggling in his Red Bull, ends up only P12, penalized by severe understeer. Daniel Ricciardo, with an oil leak on his McLaren's radiator in the latter stages of the session, rounds out the top 10, just ahead of 11th placed Yuki Tsunoda, who brings out the red flags in within 12 minutes to go after beaching his AlphaTauri in the gravel at the exit of Turn 10. Mercedes seems to have finally find competitiveness again and both drivers have the right feeling with the cars. The seventh times World Champions Lewis Hamilton says:
"This is a lot better than my Sunday last week and better than the Friday too. It's been a decent start to the weekend, we've landed in a much sweeter sport with the car, just being a very different track. It's still a work in progress, we aren't that far behind which is great to see and the car doesn't feel too bad so we've got to keep chipping away. This track is a lot more aggressive on the tyres and we could feel some bouncing here and there but if we can make some progress overnight, which we normally do, then let's see what's possible tomorrow".
George Russell is hopeful for the quali:
"The car's working better than this time last week and it's going to be close tomorrow, McLaren will be up there and Aston Martin too. We know qualifying is our weak point and the race will come towards us - our race pace is looking strong - but you've got to be starting in the right position. It was tricky out there because the timing screens were down so we couldn't see where our long run pace was definitively but we know it's in a relatively good spot. We're closer on Friday than we've been in a while so that's promising for tomorrow. The DRS on the banking is pretty cool, it's incredible how much grip you get with this banking and on turn 3 here, you throw the car in and it just grips - it's a great feeling".
Another interesting day for Ferrari, on a track that should suit the car better than Spa on last weekend. Despite this, Charles Leclerc doesn't seem to have find the right balance with the car:
"We picked up the pace a little in FP2, but we were not quite there with the car balance on my side. There’s some work ahead of us and I’m confident we can make a step forward by tomorrow. We were all very close apart from Max and Checo, but I don’t think they had a clean day so it will be interesting".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is more satisfied by the car performance:
"Overall it was a good Friday here in Zandvoort. It was great to be back at such a demanding and challenging track for drivers and cars, so I enjoyed it a lot. Performance-wise, it was a clean Friday and we completed the run plan without any issues, both for the long and short runs. It seems to be tight with our closest rivals, so any performance we can find overnight will definitely help us going into qualifying".
After a struggling day for Red Bull, home hero Max Verstappen says:
"We missed out on valuable time in FP1 and then the balance wasn’t great in FP2. In an hour-long session you can’t really change much on the car, so we just had to deal with what we had. Today wasn’t great but we’ll have a look at everything overnight, for sure we can do better than this. I wasn’t surprised when I saw the time difference, there are a lot of things that we can improve on, we’ve got FP3 tomorrow morning to try out a few things ahead of qualifying".
Sergio Perez concludes:
"Things are very marginal and Ferrari seem to be very strong around this circuit so, as I predicted, it is going to be an interesting weekend. It is a pretty challenging track and I think we are lacking speed throughout at the moment, we haven’t been quick in any of the sectors, so there is analysis to be done. We haven’t been as happy as we were in Belgium so there are things we need to look at to make sure we pick up on everything to be in the mix for quali. I got a lot of traffic today, I got one of the Ferraris on my fast lap and I couldn’t get a proper read on my soft tyre unfortunately, without causing an incident. Degradation seems to be pretty high on the long runs so it will be interesting to see what we are able to do with the strategy. We certainly need to improve for qualifying tomorrow".
The Dutch Saturday starts with the same kind of news that everyone expects after the events of Friday: during the night in fact the seals of the gearbox have been broken once again on Max Verstappen’s car. This immediately raises questions about the possible reliability problems related to the Red Bull of the reigning World Champion, as well as possible penalties he may incur. The Team Principal of the Milton Keys team, however, immediately reassures all fans and silences every voice, stating:
"We checked that everything was ok. We have enough elements to avoid penalty".
At the end of the second free practice session on Friday, the stewards, under the authority of article 11.9.3.b of the international sporting code, approve the modification of the schedule according to the supplementary regulations regarding the start of the drivers' meeting, which is set at 6:45 p.m.. After the drivers' meeting, the cover of the cars in the evening is modified to 8:15 p.m. according to article 38.2 of the sporting regulations. The following day, during FP3, Charles Leclerc, after solving an understeering issue, beats Russell by 66 thousandths, while Verstappen, for the first time in the practices, demonstrates his speed, finishing with the third-fastest time. Sainz Jr. finishes fourth, while Hamilton, in fifth, suffers a delay of half a second compared to the Monegasque's time. Compared to Friday, Pérez improves, finishing sixth, just behind the former world champion's time. At the end of the session, Pierre Gasly has an off-track incident, with the car hitting a signaling panel. A few hours later, after several drivers take turns at the top of the time sheets, Max Verstappen takes the lead in the early minutes of Q1 with a time of 1'11"317, more than a second faster than his teammate Pérez. The two Ferraris get closer to the Dutchman's time, with Leclerc 0.8 seconds behind and Sainz Jr. less than half a second behind. The two Mercedes are also faster: George Russell gets within two tenths of the Dutch driver's time, while Hamilton is only 19 thousandths slower than his teammate's time. Kevin Magnussen also beats Pérez's time. Meanwhile, the race directors notice a dangerous release from McLaren with Lando Norris, as Yuki Tsunoda approaches in the pit lane. Norris, for his part, moves up to fifth place. His time is beaten by Zhou Guanyu but not by Bottas, who remains seventh. The Alpines move up as well, with Alonso placing fourth. The track seems to improve minute by minute, allowing Tsunoda to take sixth, with Gasly in eighth, though he is beaten by Lance Stroll. After these times, Pérez drops to fifteenth place, but with his second fast lap, he rises to fourth, less than four-tenths behind Verstappen's time. Charles Leclerc does better, securing second place. The top thirteen drivers are within less than eight-tenths of each other, while the top 15 are separated by just over a second. Alexander Albon grabs the seventh-fastest time, before all drivers return to the track for a final attempt.
Only Verstappen and Leclerc stay in the pits. Norris takes third place, Tsunoda second, while Sebastian Vettel goes off track at the penultimate corner. The drivers eliminated from Q2 are Valtteri Bottas, Magnussen, Daniel Ricciardo, Vettel, and Nicholas Latifi. The second phase is interrupted almost immediately by a red flag due to a smoke bomb thrown onto the track. Some pigeons are present by the trackside and could potentially disturb the cars. When the session resumes, Verstappen sets a time of 1'10"927, almost four-tenths ahead of Sergio Pérez. Russell takes third, before Hamilton moves into second place, just one and a half-tenths off the lead. The Ferraris are not very fast: Leclerc is sixth, beaten by Sainz Jr., before Lance Stroll moves up to fifth place. Alonso intercalates between the two Ferraris. Albon improves his time, but remains 0.075 seconds behind Leclerc. With three minutes left in the session, all the drivers except Verstappen return to the track for one final fast lap. Leclerc is second, just 0.061 seconds behind the best time. Norris moves up to fourth, Mick Schumacher is eighth, before Carlos Sainz Jr. sets the best time of Q2. The drivers who do not advance to the final phase are Gasly, Ocon, Alonso, Zhou, and Albon. In Q3, Verstappen sets a time of 1'10"515, leaving Pérez 0.562 seconds behind. Norris, third, is 1.635 seconds slower. In this phase, the Mercedes cars confirm their speed from the earlier sessions: Russell is third, while Hamilton takes second, just one-tenth behind the world champion. Leclerc beats the Dutchman (1'10"456), although the Ferrari driver uses a new set of tires, unlike the Red Bull Racing driver. Sainz Jr. takes fourth. Stroll does not make it to Q3, due to a technical issue with his Aston Martin. Once again, a smoke bomb lands on the track, near the acceleration lane, but this time, the session is not interrupted, as the smoke quickly becomes harmless. In his second attempt, Leclerc improves his performance in the first sector, with Verstappen just 0.030 seconds behind. The Monegasque loses time in the second sector, but thanks to a strong final sector, he lowers his time to 1'10"363. However, this is not enough for pole position; Verstappen manages to prevail by just 21 thousandths. Sainz Jr. improves as well, taking third, while Pérez loses control of his car at the last corner, spinning out. The yellow flags force the Mercedes drivers to slow down, preventing them from competing for the first row.
Max Verstappen achieves his seventeenth career pole position, matching Jackie Stewart's number of poles, and securing his fourth pole of the season, for the first time since the Austrian Grand Prix. He also matches, with his second consecutive pole at the Zandvoort circuit, his qualifying performance from the previous year’s race. The Mexican driver Sergio Perez comments on his qualifying session and his mistake on the final:
"I was pushing it to the limit on the final lap of Q3 and I just went over the limit a little, it’s a shame. I went a bit too hot into the final corner and in the end I was lucky not to damage the car. I touched the throttle too early; I just kissed the gravel and unfortunately, I lost the rear end. I was on a good lap and could have improved quite a bit but we lost out. We are still P5 though and we can race from there but it will be very important to have a strong race pace. We have made positive changes to the car since yesterday and we are on the right track, this morning the long run was positive so Im hopeful to carry that into tomorrow and make up some good positions on the leaders. We think it could be a very close race between us, the Mercedes and the Ferraris, it could be a battle and I am looking forward to it".
These words are instead opposed to those of his team mate Max Verstappen, the poleman of the day:
"Unbelievable! We had a difficult day yesterday, the whole team worked really hard over night to turn it around and we recovered well. Again, today we had a quick car and it was enjoyable to drive; a qualifying lap around here feels insane. I know it’s going to be close during the race, but I think if we make the right calls on tyres and execute it well, we should stand a good chance tomorrow. The atmosphere is amazing here, I hope the fans are having a great time, I really can feel the support and I can hear them all around the track".
Verstappen’s incredible performance is also highlighted by Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner, who pays tribute to his driver:
"When you watch elite sportsmen at the top of their game they can really turn it on under pressure and Max did just that. He’s gaining more experience. He is continuing to mature and develop, and he has proved throughout the year that he can deliver an outstanding performance. Charles put down a hell of a marker and there was a lot of pressure on Max to turn in a perfect lap and he did it. It was a tiny margin but a vital one for tomorrows race. But, as I have said before, it’s all about team work. There is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes, crunching the numbers and working on the simulator late into the night back at home in Milton Keynes. It is a shame for Checo not to be able to finish that final lap. He was up there as well and he would probably have been on the second row but he is P5 and will be able to fight hard from there against Charles and Carlos. Mercedes will be also be competitive in the race, they have nothing to lose, they will push hard and it all sets up for a very exciting contest tomorrow".
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc also comments on the session just held, underlining the potential and hopes for the race:
"As a driver, you always target pole but Max just put it together today. The car balance felt a step better compared to yesterday. Q1 and Q2 were a little tricky. We tried different things on the out laps and in the end the front was a bit stronger which was good because I could push more. I'm confident for tomorrow, though it's a track on which it is rather difficult to overtake, so I hope it will be as close as today and that we can have a good battle with Max".
Carlos Sainz Jr. feels hopeful and ready for Sunday’s race:
"We knew we were up for a good battle and it proved to be one of the closest qualifying of the year. Finishing P3 within less than a tenth from pole shows how small the margin was today. I expect a close race with even more cars in the mix, but I’m confident we can fight for the top places. Overtaking may be a bit easier than last year and strategy will play a big role. Tonight, together with the team, we will evaluate all the available options in order to maximize the result in the race".
Although there is contentment in the Ferrari box for the first and second row, the sports director Laurent Mekies confesses that there is also frustration:
"We can be reasonably happy with how qualifying went, but there’s also an element of regret. We’re pleased to be back fighting for pole position down to the nearest thousandths of a second with both our cars, but obviously, when you come that close to pole you would like to have actually taken it. To see Charles and Carlos come within a whisker of Verstappen, just 2 and 9 hundredths slower respectively, is a good indicator of how intense the fight was. Well done to Max for his home pole. One of the positive aspects of the weekend so far is that we have been able to help the drivers get more and more confident with the car with each passing session. This is down to the team at the track, including Charles and Carlos, and all those supporting us back in Maranello. I expect tomorrow’s race will be a very close battle between three teams, as even Mercedes could be in the mix and so it should be a great show for all the fans in the grandstands and those watching at home on TV. We know that, so far, Verstappen has had a very strong race pace and tomorrow we will try and put him under pressure to make life difficult for him".
This qualifying session was also a huge test for Mercedes, which find theirselves with two satisfied drivers and positive prospects for the future. George Russell says:
"I think on a circuit like this, there is so much track evolution and when we are already on the back foot, we felt like we need to give it everything and that was our strategy in Budapest as well. The track kept evolving and if you are the last one to cross the line, you are going to hopefully get the best of the track so it goes both ways, you can look like hero or zero. And obviously today it didn't quite work for us but P6 isn't a terrible place to start and the run into Turn 1 and those first few laps will be vital. But I see no reason why we can't fight for a podium. I hope the sun comes out and combined with the orange fog, creates a bit of temperature in the atmosphere tomorrow. We understand why we were slow in Spa and why we are faster this weekend, so I think these two races have been key to our understanding of how to make a faster car across 23 races".
Lewis Hamilton is also pleased with the progress of the car compared to the weekend in Spa:
"That final lap was a good one, coming into the final sector I was definitely up and I saw the car facing the opposite direction and had to lift, that lap could have been good enough for at least third but I'll see if I can replace that tomorrow. I'm happy our car is much, much better this weekend, that's exciting. Throughout qualifying I was just a tenth behind the Red Bull which gave me a lot of belief that we could just maybe make the difference but it wasn't meant to be. I'm really happy with where I've got the setup and balance of the car, I hope degradation comes into play tomorrow and we can have the upper hand. The aero characteristics of the car work much better here, last week we had to run our car higher and that small window where our car likes to operate in is much easier to find here".
Toto Wolff is confident too, given the second-row finish:
"It was frustrating not to have the chance to improve our times on the final run of Q3, we were a tenth up on Verstappen and Leclerc so Lewis was in contention for the pole here. Unfortunately, Checo pushed it a lot and lost it but it's not his fault. It's just a decision you take, you can lose pole position because of a yellow or you can lose the pole by a few hundredths having run first - afterwards you always know better. We have a strong race car which has been in a good place all weekend and starting on the second row, anything is possible tomorrow. We developed a car which gains a lot of its downforce with a low ride height and sometimes you can't run low because you are hitting the ground. You're forced to take compromises in the setup which moves the car away from its sweet spot but here in Zandvoort, we're able to find that spot much more easily".
On Sunday, 4th September, 2022, after two years of closed door racing due to the pandemic, the orange crowd can occupy for the first time the grandstands of the Zandvoort circuit, clearly galvanized by Verstappen’s dominance in this season, and they obviously hope for his win on the home circuit. Loud music, smoke machines and great enthusiasm in every part of the facility welcome the drivers to the fifteenth race of the season, the second of the European summer triple header, between Spa and Monza. The reigning World Champion will start on pole position, sharing the front row with Charles Leclerc, while Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton occupy the second row, and Sergio Perez and George Russell start from the third row. Mick Schumacher will start P8 after his best qualifying ever on dry conditions. The tyre compounds chosen for this race are C3, C2 and C1, the hardest available, due to the abrasive nature of the track and the high temperatures. The pit stop strategy on this circuit may consist on a two-stop race with mediums-mediums if the start is on softs or softs-mediums if the start is on mediums, but also hard tyres may play a role on this circuit, and the event of a safety car may change all the strategies. Max Verstappen starts on completely new tyres while the others start on used tyres. Hamilton, Russell, Norris and Schumacher start on medium tyres while all the others use soft tyres. At the start, Verstappen and Leclerc defend their position, while Sainz and Hamilton bump into each other, with the former gaining advantage, and Lando Norris manages to overtake George Russell, who has a bad start and also has to defend himself from Lance Stroll. One lap later, Russell takes his position back. On lap 2, Kevin Magnussen loses grip on his Haas, goes out of the track but stays in the race, now in last place. Ocon, Stroll and Vettel are the drivers who gain the most positions in the first lap, three for the Frenchman and two for the two Aston Martin drivers.
The first ten laps are all about tyre management and keeping a good pace, and no major events are to be noted. The first relevant fight happens between lap 9 and 10, when Fernando Alonso overtakes Pierre Gasly on the start/finish straight and gains P12. On lap 12, he also overtakes Gasly’s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. Sebastian Vettel is the first driver to enter the pits on lap 11, followed by Gasly and Ricciardo one lap later. Few drivers, such as Russell and Norris, complain about a possible high degradation of the tyres, so tyre management will be crucial for the rest of the race, and the use of hard tyres can be a game changer. Sergio Perez is the first of the top teams’ drivers to mount new tyres on lap 15, followed by Carlos Sainz, who unfortunately has to wait twelve seconds before leaving the pits due to a delay on the mounting of the left rear tyre; Perez also happens to run over one of Ferrari’s wheel guns, but at the end of the race, no further action is taken after this incident. Sainz’s race, besides this event, is irremediably compromised due to his slow stop. Verstappen changes tyres on lap 19. Charles Leclerc sets the fastest lap on lap 19 but is still far from the Dutchman, while the two Mercedes are still in their first stint on medium tyres; one lap later, Sergio Perez is the fastest on the track, while Leclerc starts to lower his pace due to degradation and Verstappen, on lap 20, gets back his extra point for the fastest lap. At this moment, ignoring the fact that they have not pitted yet, it is the first the time during this season that both Mercedes lead the race; quite curious, since they have been dominating the majority of the races for many years from 2014 to 2020 and part of 2021, apart from the Red Bull’s comeback in the last season. On lap 28, Max Verstappen gets rid of George Russell and gains P2, setting also the fastest lap. On lap 30, it is Hamilton’s turn to change tyres, choosing the hard ones, so it is now the moment to find out if Mercedes’s strategy will pay out. George Russell is the last driver to pit, on lap 32; he mounts hard tyres as well. Sergio Perez is now third, ahead of both Mercedes drivers, but Hamilton, on harder but newer tyres, is gaining on him.
On lap 35, the seven-time World Champion eventually sets the fastest lap. Hard tyres seem right now the best compound to use. On lap 36, Lewis Hamilton is under one second behind Sergio Perez, so he can use DRS to try an overtake, but the Mexican defends his position at Turn 1 and manages to hold him back for the rest of the lap; on the next one, Hamilton gains P3, but in the meantime has to fight with the backmarker Sebastian Vettel, who leaves him space only in the last part of the lap. The four-time World Champion will be penalized later for ignoring blue flags. On lap 39, it is George Russell’s turn to overtake Sergio Perez, with relative ease. On lap 41, Sergio Perez makes his second stop, mounting hard tyres. The Mexican sets the fastest lap on lap 42, while he has to chase Lando Norris. On lap 44, Yuki Tsunoda stops the car at Turn 3, triggering a yellow flag, but manages to restart a few seconds later, so there is no need to bring out the safety car.
"Tyres not fitted".
Shouts Tsunoda in the team radio. The team, instead, answers:
"Tyres are OK".
The Japanese driver has to make a long stop one lap later, probably due to an issue occurred on changing tyres in the latest pit stop, and then eventually stops in the middle of the track after noticing once again that something is wrong, confirming that the tyres were not fitted well, thus triggering the virtual safety car. This might be the ideal moment when all the drivers on a two-stop strategy can make their second stop, in fact, Norris, Alonso, Verstappen but also Hamilton and Russell take advantage of this. Ferrari, unfortunately, already made their second pit stop before the start of the virtual safety car, so Leclerc is force to drop down P4, behind the two Mercedes. Hamilton and Russell now run on medium tyres, while Verstappen, Leclerc and the others are on hard tyres. On lap 54, the most interesting battles are in the mid-field, with Alonso trying to overtake Norris for P8, but eventually putting one wheel in the gravel in turn 1, and Sainz, who has to come back after a disaster pit strategy and is trying to overtake Esteban Ocon in P6. On lap 55, Valtteri Bottas has to stop his car at the end of the main straight, triggering a yellow flag in sectors 1 and 3, and few seconds later the safety car is deployed. Max Verstappen makes another stop while Hamilton and Russell stay out. Leclerc and Perez change tyres as well, while Bottas’s Alfa Romeo is still on track.
"I lost the engine".
Says Valtteri Bottas while he acknowledges that his race is over. One lap later, all the other drivers, except Hamilton and Perez, pit for soft tyres. Carlos Sainz, after his stop, makes an unsafe release while bumping into Fernando Alonso, who was behind him. On lap 61, the race resumes after the safety car leaves the track, in what looks like a rolling start with all drivers close to each other. Max Verstappen immediately overtakes Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1, gaining one second on the Mercedes’s driver in less of a lap. Hamilton is clearly unhappy with the team for the decisions made in this stage of the race. On lap 64, even George Russell, with soft tyres, overtakes his teammate and puts himself behind Max Verstappen, who is now in a race of his own. In the following laps, Lewis has to defend from Charles Leclerc, and on lap 66 he has to let him pass, dropping down to P4. In the last few laps of the race, the close fights are in the mid-field, between Sainz and Perez for P5 and between Alonso and Norris for P7. On lap 69, the race direction decides to hand five seconds of penalty to Carlos Sainz due to the unsafe release on lap 56. One lap later, Sergio Perez puts a wheel into the gravel in an attempt to overtake the Spaniard and loses some time behind, but he is still virtually P5 due to Sainz’ penalty. Max Verstappen wins the race, with George Russell and Charles Leclerc completing the podium.
The orange crowd may now celebrate the local hero winning again at Zandvoort, after an eventful race that has been decided by Tsunoda’s and Bottas’ retirements and by the pit stop strategies affected by these two events. Red Bull confirm their dominance in a race affected by many unexpected events and a very abrasive asphalt. A mixed weekend for Mercedes, with George Russell obtaining an unexpected second place, but with Lewis Hamilton who had a chance to win but due to a poor strategy has to finish away from the podium. Charles Leclerc ends the race third, in a race where he did all that he could, but never standing a chance with Verstappen’s Red Bull. The reigning World Champion wins his 30th career Grand Prix, his tenth victory of the season, and his fourth in a row, setting the twenty-first fastest lap. Max Verstappen is obviously on cloud nine after the victory and is proud of the teamwork at Red Bull:
"Today was quite eventful and not a straightforward race at all. We had to make the right calls and it all worked out well in the end. Mercedes were very quick on the harder compound, which we didn’t expect, so it made it more difficult for us as we were less compatible with the hards. We managed everything quite well and we made the right calls on the strategy, so well done to the team here and back at the factory. It’s always special to win your home Grand Prix, but this year I had to work even harder for it. It’s incredible to win again in front of this crowd, we’ve had unbelievable support here and I’m proud to be Dutch".
Sergio Perez, who failed to reach the podium, admits that it has been a hard day for him, but he is happy for the team:
"Obviously this is a great day for the team, but it wasn’t the best day at the office for me. I struggled with tyre degradation in the first and second stints, and I never quite got the balance where I wanted it to be. It was a hectic race with incidents in the pit lane, but I was lucky that my front wing wasn’t damaged when I drove over the wheel gun. Despite the difficulty I had, we managed to save some good points. There’s lots to take away from today and plenty to understand from our side so that we can come back strong in Monza".
Red Bull’s team manager Chris Horner has to credit the Milton Keynes team for most of the work done in order to obtain this victory and, despite not the best Perez’ race, it has been a very positive day:
"This was a huge race with an incredible amount of anticipation and pressure. It was also a tough race strategically. First, with the virtual safety car and then the full safety car. To pit Max in the lead with 12 laps to go, putting him behind two Mercedes, is a big call, but it was the right one. We would prefer to be on the better tyre. However, what you see here is only 10 per cent of the team, it’s what goes on behind the scenes that really makes this possible. The team is operating at an extremely high level and it’s all the support and effort that you don’t see back in Milton Keynes that makes a victory like this possible. All in all, it was a fantastic team performance and both drivers were in the zone from the moment they arrived at the track. Checo was unfortunately jumped at the restart by Carlos and I think, in hindsight, we should have overruled his preference for the medium tyre, but he had a strong race. We’re in a great position and we are happy, although nothing is done until it is done. We operate one race at a time and we don’t allow ourselves to think too far ahead. It’s Monza next week, we’re looking forward to it and hopefully can carry this form into that race".
In Mercedes, George Russell is excited about clinching an outstanding P2, after a race in which the Silver Arrows gambled on tyre strategy, which favoured him instead of Hamilton, and acknowledges that the car is getting closer to Red Bull and Ferrari:
"It’s been an incredible reception here, a really special feeling for all of us drivers to come racing in Zandvoort and in Holland. As a team we showed incredible pace today, I know the team result wasn’t quite what we hoped for, but this gives us a lot of confidence and a lot of faith going forwards".
So he adds:
"It’s incredible to see three different teams on the podium and we as Mercedes are slowly getting closer to that top step, so let’s keep on pushing. Not an easy decision for the team to make with the final safety car - when you’re in front with track position, you’ve got a shot to go for the win which is what we did. But this is what we as Mercedes are here to do, we’re here to win. And the 2000 people back in the UK, at Brackley and Brixworth, are all working to get us that win, so today we took a decision to give us the best chance of that. Our qualifying performance yesterday probably cost us most this weekend because if we were on the second row, I think we’d have been fighting even more for the win. But from race one in Bahrain, being a second off, to this weekend and having the fastest race car is incredibly impressive and everyone in the team should be very proud".
Lewis Hamilton, who for a good part of the race was very close to the final win, is clearly disappointed but there are some positive aspects from which he can restart:
"Today we were really challenged with the VSCs and Safety Cars. I think the strategy and the car had been so good up until that point, the pit stops were fantastic, the best I think we’ve had all year and it was really geeing me up. Especially after such an up and down year, we’ve not had a win since Saudi Arabia last year. So, it was finally there, within our grasp but of course then the safety car really didn’t help. But the guys were really, really on it, we were all on it and I really was hopeful that we were going to get a 1-2 together as a team. But given how it played out after the final safety car and dropping back, I was just on the edge of breaking point with emotions and my apologies to the team because I don’t even remember what I said over radio, I just lost it for a second. But I think they know that there is just so much passion and I want to look at today as a glass half full - we came here struggling from the last race and we were fighting against the Red Bulls today, we were quicker than most at many points. Without the safety car I think we’d have been challenging them for the win at the end on the one-stop which I don’t think the others could do. So many great things to take from this weekend - the car was finally working. If this can be the same in the future races, we’re going to be continuing to breathe down their necks and we’re going to get that win".
Mercedes’ team manager Toto Wolff, despite Hamilton’s fourth place, is happy about the team’s growth and clarifies that the pit strategy was a gamble for taking a victory, which worked partially:
"Zandvoort was a good track for us and both drivers performed to the maximum today with a strong car. We had some tough decisions to take with the safety car towards the end. With Lewis ahead, you can do two things: you can either pit him, lose track position against Verstappen and leave George out - screwed. You can pit both, but you are settling for P2 and P3 and we agreed as a team this morning to fight for the win, so it was worth the risk. I feel for Lewis, it’s highly emotional, you are that close, bracing for the win and then you are being eaten up. It’s clear that every emotion comes out but as I always say, we are the dustbin for the driver in the car. Lewis and I were just speaking and there are definitely more positives to take from this weekend, second and fourth, it’s annoying but we had a good race car here and that’s most important. You have got to take risks where we are. I’m confident we’ll get the win this season and we are going to try the maximum, we are a bit closer today and it is good fun in any case".
In Ferrari, Charles Leclerc is not happy about third place but admits that the car was not as fast the others, so it might not be the worst possible result. He highlights the fact that the competitors are improving, he knows that even the Italian Grand Prix will be hard but he is excited to race in front of the Tifosi:
"We’re not particularly happy with P3 today after having started second, but we were just not fast enough. The first stint was really good on the Soft compound. I was quite confident, but on the Mediums things became more tricky, especially with Mercedes being so strong on the Hards. We were unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car, but I don’t think it would have changed much for us. Our competitors seem to have improved their pace, especially in the race, and this is something we will be focusing on going forward. We’re off to Monza next. Although, on paper, it doesn’t look like it will be the strongest race for us, we’re always extremely motivated going there. It’s our home race and I can’t wait to see our tifosi again".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is frustrated after a race full of negative events, such as the incident with Hamilton, the first slow pit stop, the second before the start of the virtual safety car and with the unsafe release and the consequential penalty:
"Today we had a very tough race and things just didn’t go our way. The set-up we went for didn’t work as expected and after picking up some damage at the start with Hamilton we lacked a bit of pace overall. Obviously, the late call for the first pit stop cost us a lot of race time and afterwards I got the penalty for an unsafe release, even though there was nothing else I could have done in that situation as I was trying to avoid hitting a McLaren mechanic in front of me. A tough one, but we’ll now focus on the next race at home in Monza".
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s Team Principal & Managing Director, complains that the car during the race was not as fast as in qualifying, and admits that the lack of pace is not a new problem:
"We cannot be satisfied with our race today. After performing well in qualifying, the car did not have the pace to win and unfortunately, that’s not the first time in recent races. We have to analyse everything in great detail, because the difference in performance between qualifying and the race demonstrates that we did not manage to exploit all the potential in the car. Now we go to Monza where we can expect a warm welcome from our tifosi. We know we can always count on their support and it will be great to finally see the grandstands at the Autodromo packed out, after the limitation on spectator numbers last year because of Covid. We will do our utmost to make our supporters proud of us, even if we already know it won’t be an easy race, given the performance level of our competitors".
The teams now prepare for the crucial Monza stage, where Verstappen can get really close to an early Championship win, Ferrari have to look for improvements since the latest win in Austria seems very far away, and Mercedes need to confirm the progress made in the last few races. The Dutchman now leads the Championship by 109 points, while there are only seven races left before the end of the season.