From a crucial start between title rivals to an open battle for the podium, and from a big surprise from Alfa Romeo to safety cars that are likely to play a significant role, we’ve picked out some of the key areas that we’ll see at Zandvoort on Sunday should keep an eye on the Dutch Grand Prix …
Verstappen vs. Hamilton in the first round
Unfortunately, we were denied the chance to see how the first lap would develop at Spa-Francorchamps, where the weather prevented any green flag race, but we see the Netherlands being fairly equipped for an equally important fight.
Home hero Max Verstappen looked like a safe bet on pole position early in qualifying, and before the final rounds there was little sign that this was going to change. But a number of issues taken together meant that the Red Bull driver saw only a slight improvement while Lewis Hamilton got pole position in 0.05 seconds.
REPORT: Verstappen wows home fans after ousting Hamilton to take the thrilling Dutch GP pole
The pair will line up side by side in the front row, with Hamilton only a narrow three-point lead in the drivers’ standings. And what happens in the first lap has every chance of determining the race.
Overtaking at Zandvoort is expected to be difficult as a large delta between cars is required or there is a mistake as there is little margin for error. So both title rivals know that the majority of their hopes rest on winning the first round, with Turn 1 and Turn 3 being particularly crucial on this front.
SIDE-BY-SIDE: How Verstappen got Hamilton on pole at the Dutch GP
Gasly leads the podium finish
There were a number of outstanding qualifying performances on Saturday, one of which came from a driver who has driven consistently for one lap this season.
Pierre Gasly’s fourth place on the grid marks the third race in a row in which he qualified in the top six, making it his best performance of his career. Gasly beat the Ferrari couple and joined Valtteri Bottas on the second row, which gives him the best chance of finishing on the podium.
READ MORE: Gasly wondered why he missed the Red Bull spot after an impressive P4 in Dutch GP qualifying
Since Sergio Perez slipped out of position after exiting Q1 (more on that later), the door is open to a driver outside of Mercedes and Red Bull to continue his winning streak among the top three. To find a podium that consists exclusively of drivers from the two top teams, you have to return to the first of the two Austrian races in July …
Ferrari will still hope that they can be the team to finish this race with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in fifth or if they get off to a strong start or if a drama is imminent.
No wonder Gasly smiled after this qualifying round …
Giovinazzi gives Alfa something to smile about
Saturday started stressful for Alfa Romeo when Kimi Raikkonen returned a positive Covid-19 test and had to sit out the rest of the race weekend at Zandvoort. It was a busy morning for Robert Kubica, who had to get out on the track after the curfew ended and prepare for a race appearance that he hadn’t quite expected.
Expectations for Pole qualifying were low due to his lack of preparation time, but on the other side of the pit, Antonio Giovinazzi exceeded even the most optimistic predictions when he almost pushed his car into the second row.
READ MORE: Giovinazzi is thrilled with P7 lattice space when Alfa super sub Kubica says he made it safe after the late draft
The Italian was quick throughout qualifying and once secured seventh place on the grid in Q3, leaving both the Alpine drivers and Daniel Ricciardo behind. He came that close to the top 4 too, but the pace in the long run could prove to be different.
The track layout could play into his hands here as he hopes to defend his position in the top 10 and is trying to regain a few points against Williams in the battle for eighth place in the constructors’ championship.
2021 Dutch GP Qualifying: Giovinazzi celebrates brilliant P7 in Zandvoort
Perez. a tough attempt at recovery is imminent
If we stick to the subject of expectations, no one expected a Red Bull to be eliminated in Q1 at Zandvoort, and the Oranges will have been relieved that it wasn’t Verstappen. But that is no consolation for Sergio Perez, who has fallen victim to several problems.
First, Red Bull miscalculated the lap time needed to advance safely, as Perez believed he had underestimated the track development. As a result, he needed an additional run late, but then a slow pit exit of several cars caught him and he was unable to start his last attempt in time.
READ MORE: Hamilton and Wolff plan to put Verstappen under “massive pressure” with a split strategy at the Dutch GP
This track development then resulted in Perez dropping to the bottom five and taking him a tentative 16th place on the grid unless Honda takes on a new power unit that is likely to be needed sometime this year.
Position on the track is crucial so Red Bull has to strategically try something different to give Perez a chance to make up ground, but he also has a car that he thinks should have matched his teammate in the front row , and at such a pace he is most likely the driver who is moving. It could be a long afternoon for Perez, although a well-timed safety car could mess things up …
Perez has everything to do from 16th on the grid
Safety cars probably
And it is certainly not unrealistic for Perez to rely on a safety car that influences the race. Zandvoort proves to be a real test for the drivers, with mistakes being punished either by small run-off zones on the banked turns or by grass and gravel pits.
We had a total of four hours of Formula 1 track time (each session should have lasted at least an hour) and during that time there were six red flags.
Two came in qualifying due to accidents with the Williams drivers and showed how tricky the wind on the North Sea coast can be, especially when the drivers are pushing their limits.
READ MORE: The Williams duo say they “pushed too hard” when both crashed in Dutch GP qualifying
We could see even more disruptions in a racing scenario, with Virtual Safety Cars or Safety Cars potentially having a huge impact if you plan your pit stop well enough.
The post What to look out for at the Dutch Grand Prix: a ding dong on the first lap, a podium in midfield and the safety car first appeared on monter-une-startup.
