Formula 1 News: Winners and Losers from the Dutch Grand Prix
The highly anticipated Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort has come to a close, and it was a weekend of mixed emotions for the drivers and teams. Lando Norris shone bright, taking his second career victory and closing the gap to title rival Max Verstappen in the Formula 1 standings. Lawrence Barretto picks out his winners and losers from the Dutch Grand Prix.
Winner: Lando Norris
Norris was on top form in the Netherlands, converting his pole position into victory for the first time in six attempts. His dominant performance saw him take the biggest winning margin of the season, finishing 22.896s ahead of Verstappen. The Briton’s confidence and pace were evident as he pumped in the fastest lap of the race on old hard tyres to earn an extra point.
Reigning world champion Verstappen’s winless run extended to five Grands Prix, and he lamented Red Bull’s lack of speed at Zandvoort. His championship advantage has been cut, but he still maintains a substantial lead in the Formula 1 standings.
Winner: McLaren
McLaren brought their first major upgrade package to Zandvoort, and it paid off, crushing the opposition to take pole position and a commanding victory through Norris. This was their third win of 2024, and they have slashed the gap to championship leaders Red Bull to just 30 points.
Winner: Charles Leclerc
Leclerc was shocked by the pace of his Ferrari after a difficult qualifying. However, the Ferraris came alive in the race, and Leclerc took his second consecutive podium, maintaining P3 in the drivers’ championship.
Loser: Alex Albon
Albon delivered a cracking lap in qualifying, but his car was disqualified for running an illegal floor. He didn’t get the chance to capitalise on it, and P14 was the best he could recover.
Winner: Ferrari
Ferrari’s pace on Friday was encouraging, but they struggled in qualifying. However, they came alive in the race, with Leclerc taking his seventh podium of the season and Carlos Sainz battling back from 10th to take fifth.
Loser: Mercedes
Mercedes came into Zandvoort in stellar form but were underwhelming in qualifying. They could only manage P7 and P8 in the race, ending up fourth-best in terms of pure pace.
Winner: Pierre Gasly
Gasly excelled, giving his team a valuable two points to further pull away from Williams in the constructors’ championship. He showed impressive race-craft going toe to toe with Lewis Hamilton and Sainz on his way to ninth.
Loser: Esteban Ocon
Ocon was at a loss to explain why the car could feel so good at the last race at Spa yet so difficult to drive at Zandvoort. He was booted out of Q1 for the second year in a row at the Dutch track and simply didn’t have the pace to make any progress in the race.
Loser: Red Bull
Red Bull’s stunted run continued in the Netherlands as they lost their grip on Zandvoort. They could only manage second through Verstappen, and their pressure is well and truly on to regain their form.
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