Lando Norris had an outstanding weekend, recovering from a mistake at the start and dominating the Dutch Grand Prix. This victory at Zandvoort, his second career win in Formula 1 after his triumph in Miami, carries a special significance. Unlike his win in Florida, this success was achieved solely through the British driver's skill and the superiority of the McLaren, which now intimidates its rivals. Norris secured pole position, first place in the race, and the fastest lap, achieving the maximum possible outcome.
With this win, Norris is now 70 points behind Max Verstappen in the standings, a significant but not insurmountable gap, considering there are still nine Grands Prix remaining, with a total of 234 points up for grabs. Verstappen, who finished his home race 22.896 seconds behind Norris, cannot feel too comfortable. In the Constructors' Championship, the gap between Red Bull and McLaren has narrowed to just 30 points, and a noteworthy fact is that Verstappen hasn't won a race in five rounds.
Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, praised Norris, stating that the driver is reaching an exceptional level of maturity. Norris is aware of the past mistakes that cost him valuable points, but his response, as demonstrated in the Netherlands, has been exemplary. McLaren had also hoped to see Oscar Piastri on the podium, but like Norris, the Australian lost positions at the start, overtaken by George Russell. Surprised by the undercut from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Piastri found himself behind the Monegasque driver after the pit stop, finishing in fourth place.
The weekend was also positive for Ferrari. In Formula 1, without a perfect car, performance can change quickly. Currently, only McLaren seems to have found the perfect balance. For other teams, however, it's easy to go from a brilliant weekend to a disappointing one, as shown by Ferrari. Leclerc was skillful in managing every phase of the race, and the team was quick to call for an early tire change. Carlos Sainz also put in a notable performance, recovering from the tenth position, due to Alexander Albon's penalty, to finish fifth thanks to an aggressive race.
Sergio Perez finished in sixth place, a modest result that certainly did not excite Red Bull's leadership following his confirmation after the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. It was a disappointing performance for Mercedes: despite a strong fourth-place in qualifying, Russell never had the pace to compete with Leclerc and Piastri, and the decision for a second pit stop to switch to soft tires did not yield results, leaving him in seventh place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who showed determination recovering from a disastrous qualifying session. Pierre Gasly put in an excellent performance, finishing ninth with his Alpine-Renault.
The final point up for grabs was earned with difficulty by Fernando Alonso in his Aston Martin-Mercedes, while Lance Stroll finished in thirteenth. Nico Hulkenberg with his Haas-Ferrari fought hard but finished outside the points. Daniel Ricciardo secured a decent twelfth place with the Racing Bulls-Honda, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished seventeenth. Alexander Albon, penalized on Saturday for irregularities with his car's floor, finished fourteenth with his Williams-Mercedes, while his teammate Logan Sargeant recovered from a disastrous Friday performance to finish sixteenth. The Sauber-Ferraris finished two laps down from the winner, showing a performance well below expectations.
© Cavalieri Garage & Co.
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