Valtteri Bottas got off to a great start, but in the end it didn’t help the points in the race mixed with rain.
F1 returned from a summer break of a few weeks with a wild water circus in Holland.
The race started in dry weather, but after a few laps, the rain mixed the pack a lot. The sky tore a second time even harder at the end, which is why the race had to be stopped for almost 45 minutes.
Red Bull Max Verstappen drove to a historic victory on his home track. The competition victory was already the ninth consecutive victory for the Dutchman Sebastian Vettel’s record.
– Unbelievable. Due to the rain, making the right decisions was not easy. I am incredibly proud. My skin got goosebumps even before the national anthem was played. Unbelievable atmosphere, Verstappen gave the atmosphere.
Team mate Sergio Perez was stuck in second place for a long time, but due to a driving error Fernando Alonso rose ahead of the Mexican.
– We were fast in wet weather. We stopped maybe a lap too late, but the car flew today. In these conditions, you need a car you can trust and I trusted it completely, Alonso said.
Pierre Gasly finally got on the podium, as Perez received a five-second time penalty.
– What a competition. I am very happy for all the guys that we got third place. The race was very long and very challenging, Gasly summarized.
A mega start from Bottas
The 15th runner also suffered from the rain at the beginning of the race Valtteri Bottas, who had already risen six places at the start to 12th. When the rain started, the Finn was not taken to the pit.
The one who started from the second square also wanted to make this decision Lando Norris, who saw that the track was about to dry up. Also George Russell stayed on the track for a longer time.
The daring game backfired, as Bottas and the others who drove on soft tires were far behind the pace of the others. Bottas’ and Alfa Romeo’s pace was also slower on medium hard tires, and the Finn was unable to gain points.
Russell wondered about the mess in the stable
Russell, who was in 18th place for a while, got really hot about the mix-up in the team on his team radio.
– I was predicted for the podium. How did we screw this up, Russell burst out, laced with profanity.
Russell momentarily moved up to seventh, but a bump with Norris took him to the pits and to 17th place. Guanyu Zhou, Charles Leclerc and Logan Sargeant had to interrupt.
Formula One World Series 13/22 race, Dutch GP:
Final results (72 laps, 306.587 km):
1) Max Verstappen Netherlands, Red Bull
2) Fernando Alonso Spain, Aston Martin
3) Pierre Gasly France, Alpine
4) Sergio Perez Mexico, Red Bull
5) Carlos Sainz Spain, Ferrari
6) Lewis Hamilton Britain, Mercedes
7) Lando Norris Britain, McLaren
8) Alexander Albon Thailand, Williams
9) Oscar Piastri Australia, McLaren
10) Esteban Ocon France, Alpine
11) Lance Stroll Canada, Aston Martin
12) Nico Hülkenberg Germany, Haas
13) Liam Lawson New Zealand, AlphaTauri
14) Kevin Magnussen Denmark, Haas
15) Valtteri Bottas Finland, Alfa Romeo
16) Yuki Tsunoda Japan, AlphaTauri
17) George Russell Britain, Mercedes -55,754.
Dropped by: Logan Sargeant USA, Williams (14th lap), Charles Leclerc Monaco, Ferrari (41st), Zhou Guanyu China, Alfa Romeo (62nd).
1) Verstappen 339
2) Perez 201
3) Alonso 168
4) Hamilton 156
5) Sainz 102
6) Leclerc 99
7) Russell 99
8) Norris 75
9) Stroll 47
10) Gasly 37
11) Ocon 36
12) Square 36
13) Albon 15
14) Hulkenberg 9
15) Bottas 5
16) Zhou 4
17) Tsunoda 3
18) Magnussen 2
Manufacturers’ WC points standings:
1) Red Bull 540
2) Mercedes 255
3) Aston Martin 215
4) Ferrari 201
5) McLaren 111
6) Alpine 73
7) Williams 15
8) Haas 11
9) Alfa Romeo 9
10) AlphaTauri 3.
Next race: 3. 9. Italian GP (Monza).