The first race back after the summer break was an exciting one to say the least. The Dutch Grand Prix, home race to the reigning world champion Max Verstappen, was full of triumphs and tribulations, especially for one certain papaya driver.
The Dutch Grand Prix was held at the Circuit Zandvoort from Aug. 23 through 25. As the first race back after a long break, many fans were ecstatic to see the cars back on the track and ready for a weekend filled with action.
The race weekend started on Friday with the first practice session. The start of the practice session called for some clouds and rain but eventually ended with some sunshine. Due to the inconsistent weather, the drivers had to pull all the stops by using the wets, intermediates and slicks. The rain played a key role in many drivers’ laps, especially Kevin Magnussen from the HAAS team, who cut a corner and took too much of the kerb, causing a tremendous splash of water to go on the track. The top three who finished in the practice session were Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and in a last-minute lap, Lewis Hamilton surpassed Carlos Sainz and claimed the third spot in the first practice session.
Later that Friday, the second practice session began and the weather was in better condition than the previous session. It wasn’t a completely clear session since the weather was still a bit windy which caused Nico Hülkenberg to spin out. It was smooth sailing from then on for all except for Sainz, who was unable to complete any laps due to the issue with his gearbox. The top three for the second session were George Russell, Oscar Piastri and once again Lewis Hamilton finished the top three. The last practice session brought many surprises to the audience. Logan Sargeant spun out on one of the turns of the circuit and caused an early finish to the last practice session. The abrupt ending to the practice session allowed for three new drivers to finish in the top three which were Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas.
Courtesy of Peter Dejong / AP Photo
Saturday rolled around and it was finally time for the qualifying session to set the grid for the race on Sunday. Unfortunately for Sargeant, he was unable to participate in the qualifying session due to the damage that was done to the car. Out in the first qualifying round was Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. The second round of the session eliminated Sainz, Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Hülkenberg and Magnussen. In a surprising turn of events, the pole position was taken from hometown hero Verstappen by none other than McLaren’s very own Lando Norris. The top 10 for Sunday’s race were Norris, Verstappen, Piastri, Russell, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, and Sainz.
Courtesy of Patrick Post / AP Photo
It was finally Sunday, and the most exciting part of the weekend was here: race day! The race started smoothly. Verstappen was quickly able to take the lead from Norris and Russell was able to make his way up to third. It was on the 18th lap that Norris was able to reclaim the lead from Verstappen. Norris kept the lead from the 18th lap until the end of the race, ultimately receiving not only his second win of the 2024 season but also his second-ever career win. His lead over Verstappen was a 22-second gap and Leclerc in third place concluded the top three for the race.
Courtesy of Peter Dejong / AP Photo
With McLaren’s dominance in the season so far, it seems Red Bull has finally met its match this season.
Edited by Madison Roost
Comments