Holland will go crazy if Max wins this race!
After a 36 year wait, the passionate Dutch fans finally have another home race, and a home hero to cheer to possibly not just a home win, but he could retake the championship lead too if he wins on Sunday.
Putting the circumstances to one side, Red Bull still came out of last weekend with a win, and closed in on Mercedes, thanks to their wet prowess in qualifying. The tight track at Zandvoort, however, does resemble the Hungaroring, which does not bode well for them, as they didn’t do as well there. Despite this they will have a great chance at the win, and the home support will surely give Max something come Saturday and Sunday! Perez simply needs a solid weekend, ideally causing problems for Mercedes, but at the very least clear of the pack behind. Their pace on Friday was promising, but not spectacular, and other teams are threatening them.
As I said, Mercedes will be a threat here, with their car working well on tight, medium speed corners. The other question is how rake will affect the cars on the banking, it is possible a lower rake may cause less touching of the car on the track, which will help Mercedes. If Hamilton can win here, it would be a big statement of intent, and annoy Red Bull and Max. It was not a good day for them today, as Lewis missed the whole of FP2 pretty much, as he had to shut off the engine on his 3rd lap of the session. It wasn’t his race engine, although it is still not what the team wants to see, as he has lost a huge amount of track time on a brand new circuit. Apparently, it was an issue with the oil, which could have been caused by the banking.
This kind of track has the 2021 Ferrari written all over it, with very little straights, and plenty of corners where a good chassis is important. Sure enough, FP2 proved us right, as they topped the session with a 1-2. I am sure they will be given a run for their money come tomorrow, yet the signs are good, especially in their battle with McLaren. This may be a weekend they needed after the disappointment of Spa.
McLaren are in the mix, and could still pull a rabbit out of the hat as the weekend progresses. Lando will want to put Belgium behind him, and continue his streak of incredible results. I would watch out for him more in the race, although overtaking may not be easy for him. Daniel can’t rest on his laurels yet, as one strong result doesn’t mean much in this business, but I am sure he isn’t here to finish poorly. This could be a damage limitation weekend compared to Ferrari for the team.
Other than Ferrari, Alpine really impressed today, with Ocon setting a blistering time, obviously still on a high after his 1st ever win in F1. The team’s pace was clearly good at Hungary, even with all the luck, so it could translate to here. Reaching Q3 and securing points would be a brilliant result for them.
Past form would suggest that AlphaTauri, at least with Gasly will fly high on Saturday, and struggle to keep it up in the race. Difficulties with overtaking could be his biggest friend this weekend. Tsunoda has not been able to come back from the summer break in any better shape than when he left really, which is rather baffling. How long can Helmut put up with him?
Aston Martin should be the opposite of the junior Red Bull team, as consistent race pace is their biggest strength this year. That being said, the weekend hasn’t started well for them, with Vettel missing a tonne of practice time today with an MGU issue. More worrying signs for Mercedes HPP, and a dent in the Silverstone team’s preparation.
Giovinazzi had a burst of pace in FP2, although this is not unusual, as they seem to turn up their engine more. I believe he is the one more than anyone, who needs to prove himself very soon, if he wants to stay in the sport. It could already be too late though. The wind from the sea may well mean Williams can’t score points for the 3rd race in a row, which they can’t complain much about, given their luck recently. Finally, Haas are actually looking the best they have all year, with both cars within a few seconds of 1st today. It would be great if they could battle other cars soon!
This could be another race where Saturday is the most important day, but you have to admit that the cars look awesome around this feisty track, which has a fair amount of bite to it, if you get it wrong
-M
Thank you very much for reading this article! To keep up to date with when they go out, and to see my reactions to races and other news, follow me on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/MeaningofMotor1
Also, if you want to support me, I have a Patreon Page at: https://www.patreon.com/meaningofmotorsport
Meaning of Motorsport 