The last five laps of a Dutch Grand Prix, which seemed to have been decided in favor of Max Verstappen for a long time, again brought what distinguishes Formula 1 from many series and makes it so fascinating: pure, rough racing. The track in Zandvoort, including its two banked corners, was still wet after a downpour and a 45-minute interruption, and the tires on the cars hadn’t really warmed up yet. Verstappen led the procession behind the safety car, waiting for the right moment to pick up the pace once the track was reopened.
He could almost feel Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin behind him. All of a sudden Verstappen accelerated, but the pursuer didn’t let himself be taken by surprise. During the break, Alonso had carefully considered where he could attack the leader. So he did it very differently from Verstappen. “I took different lines hoping to find more grip than him and then passed him,” he later said.
For a few curves, the constant cheering of the 100,000 spectators in Oranje died away, the amazement shaped the facial expressions. Verstappen and Alonso waved synchronously between the puddles, everywhere the end lurked at the smallest wrong steering movement. Everything or spray! In addition, there is the danger of being duped by the opponent.
It was the most exciting of the 72 laps, maybe even the most exciting of the racing year so far. Because for the first time the Red Bull driver had an opponent at eye level, and under these dramatic circumstances. It was only after one lap that Verstappen was able to escape Alonso’s grip, pull away and drive towards the ninth Grand Prix victory in a row: “I had to survive this first lap,” said Verstappen: “When the tires were up to temperature, I had everything in me again Handle.”
Mercedes pulls world champion Hamilton as the only one in the field on the wrong tires
“Risk management” was what the winner later called his feat behind the wheel, which could hardly be expressed in a more abstract and apt manner. Of course you need luck in the rain chaos, but it still doesn’t work without extreme driving skills and a strong instinct. It was therefore no coincidence that Verstappen and Alonso were able to duel in the end. If the Mercedes tactics hadn’t gone so terribly wrong, Lewis Hamilton could have been up front too, he managed to finish sixth from last place.
Being the only one in the field to have the wrong tires on the rims at the beginning brought about “hammer time” for record world champion Hamilton: “After that, I just rolled up my sleeves and went hunting. If you stumble, you have to get up again .” The only thing that annoyed the Brit was the answer to the question: “What could have been if…”
Ideal lines are always straight ahead only in theory, but in capricious weather conditions it is also about the ability to adapt. A skill that distinguishes the greats. Fernando Alonso is a master at it, steeled from the title fights with Michael Schumacher, which he won twice. Rarely has the Spaniard been so relaxed as after Zandvoort’s second place, which ended an interim low for the surprise Aston Martin team. The fact that he was able to bring Verstappen to the brink of defeat in the end was converted into a declaration of war in the warm-up lap: “We’ll win soon.”
Alonso gives unusual compliments to Verstappen
First, however, the Asturian distributed unusual compliments to the opponent, himself still completely caught up in the drama of the final phase: “What Max is currently delivering is sensational. In my opinion, it is underestimated how great this performance is. So dominant in a sport like this to be, that’s complicated, not a self-starter. Quite the opposite!”
Controlling the race car, even one this superior, also has a lot to do with self-control. And it underlines again how much Max Verstappen has matured in the past two years. Grown with every victory, and in the role of leader. “When I wasn’t fighting for the title, I would have driven differently under conditions like these,” said Verstappen. But now he has everything under control.
Attacker Alonso, on the other hand, who was voted driver of the day in Zandvoort, takes satisfaction in the duel with the high-flyer of the season: “Being able to drive on the same level as Max gives you a lot of self-confidence.” Overarching pride between the two-time and soon-to-be three-time world champion. It’s all a question of the right feeling that day.
