The podium to restart Formula 1 after the summer break could have been thought of by artificial intelligence. Everything was taken into account that is clichéd for storytelling: an ice -cold, sovereign winner in the Australian Oscar Piatri. In Max Verstappen a local hero who uses his outsider chance thanks to his own skills. And in the Frenchman Isaack Hadjar a rookie, whose dream is already fulfilled in the fifteenth World Cup run. Almost a little unbelievable, this composition according to the Grand Prix of the Netherlands. But even imposing and crazy is the view of the list of failures: Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
The engine damage from Norris shortly before the end throws the British in the internal McLaren duel for the world championship title not only by 34 points, the record of five double successes also fails. Piatri, on the other hand, underlines that he is one who ends things. The revealing quote after the first start-finish victory of his career was: “I checked the race when I had to.” Verstappen nodded and was pleased that he could at least remain competitive in the dunes at home. The only 20 -year -old Frenchman Hadjar just made big eyes: “It all feels a bit unreal.” But he too quickly switched to analysis mode: “I maximized what I had and I didn’t make a mistake. Hopefully there will be more.” For the Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s junior team, it is the first podium since 2021.
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It is tight. It is strange. It is slippery. All of this distinguishes them, the racetrack of Zandvoort. And it was also the characteristics that made the start at the Netherlands’ Grand Prix. After the performances of the previous days, the first race after the summer break would have had to be a boring, a clear matter for the McLaren duo with Piatri and Norris in the front row. But Verstappen immediately started an attack with soft tires. While Piatri had his teammate starved on the outside track, Verstappen pushed himself into the sandwich. With so much surplus that the Red Bull pilot on the sandy side of the slope rose almost, almost lost control, but was still able to intercept his car at 170-a masterpiece that initially brought him second place. The tactics opened on the last groove, in front of King Willem’s eyes among the 80,000 spectators, a confessing Formula 1 fan.
The race for Norris ran seven laps before the end when he first reported a strange smell and then smoke from his cockpit – apparently an oil leak
The weather forecast was more exciting than the round table. A front pressed in from the North Sea. Norris overtaken Verstappen in the ninth round again and chased the hurried piatri. If you were outside on soft tires, you were waiting for the summer rain, but the clouds were hesitant. The tactical poker was then influenced by a completely different factor anyway. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton added another low point to his bumpy start at Ferrari when he lost his car on the slippery advertising messages on the edge of the steep curve in the 23rd round on the way to the box. What followed was a little sorry, but the embarrassment could hardly alleviate it. “I don’t know what happened there,” said Hamilton later, “except that it is very unusual for me.”
The first procession ended in round 26, all with fresh tires, nobody believed in the rain, but everyone in their chance. Charles Leclerc in the last remaining Ferrari surprised George Russell, even if the silver arrow pilot left little to the Monegassen. The two cars touched in the extreme situation, driver union russell began to whine on their own behalf. Exactly these optimistic and hard maneuvers lead to the goal on a traditional slope as in Zandvoort.
After his Mercedes had got something from the collision, Russell had to advance his teammate Kimi Antonelli to hunt Ferrari. It was less about egos, but more about second place in the designer World Cup behind McLaren. It brings little honor, but a lot of prize money. Antonelli won fresh pneus for the last 20 rounds. Leclerc followed a circulation later and was soon after: he shot up into the excessive curve when Antonelli came from behind. The Mercedes wanted to go over at the bottom, but the centrifugal forces were too big, he was driven up and caught the Ferrari on the rear wheel. Leclerc’s car became a humming gown, a possible podium splashed ended on the carbon scrap place. “It was unnecessary,” said Leclerc, the racing commissioners joined him, and there were ten penalty seconds for Antonelli. In the result table, he slipped to 16th place. Nico Hülkenberg was 14.
A new race began for the last 15 rounds, again two McLaren were on hard tires at the front, behind it that lurking on the soft mixture. This time Norris was not the victim of the Dutchman, but he lost the connection to Piatri again. Seven rounds before the end, the Grand Prix had finally run for Norris when it first reported a strange smell and then smoke from his cockpit – apparently an oil leak. He couldn’t make it back into the garage, the McLaren remained in a curve. Norris fled over the guardrail, like a pile misery, he remained in the dunes. A scene with symbolic power? The decision in the World Cup does not yet bring that, but maybe an indication that McLaren should bundle his strength.
