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5 hours ago
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Key events
I’ll be back from about 2.15 for qualifying, and Giles Richards will be reporting from Zandvoort after the race for pole. For now, I’ll leave you with the PA’s report on the sprint race:
George Russell delivered a much-needed boost to his championship hopes with a commanding victory in the Dutch Grand Prix sprint. Russell endured a tough run at the last three races but has returned from the sport’s summer shutdown determined to trust his instincts in order to chase down Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader and his Mercedes teammate.
The 28-year-old shaved three points off Antonelli’s lead to sit 56 back ahead of Sunday’s main race. The Italian, who turns 20 next week, crossed the line in fourth in Saturday’s 24-lap dash around the seaside circuit of Zandvoort – hosting the final Dutch Grand Prix before it drops off the calendar.
That meant he actually extended his lead at the top of the standings by three points to 53, with second-placed Lewis Hamilton trudging home in seventh in a disappointing display as he bids to ignite his charge towards an eighth world title over the second half of the season.
Lando Norris, who earned his first win of the season in Budapest last time out, started second but was unable to offer a significant threat to Russell. He instead fell back in the closing stages, losing out to Charles Leclerc on lap 17.
Oscar Piastri was fifth in the second McLaren and Max Verstappen, fresh from signing his new Red Bull contract, finished sixth.
Russell produced a confident drive to clinch his third sprint win of the season, blasting away from pole to fend off the threat of Norris before pulling clear.
Ferrari rolled the dice with Leclerc, starting him on soft tyres from third on the grid but it was a move which did not immediately pay off as he was unable to make progress at the start.
Behind him, Antonelli got the jump on Piastri around the outside of the opening corner to claim fourth.
It was a sprint that will not live long in the memory, with that move the only one of note throughout the first 17 laps. That was until Leclerc closed within striking distance of Norris and dived up the inside of turn one to pass the reigning world champion.
Norris was then under pressure from Antonelli, the Italian on his gearbox through turn one on the final lap, but the British driver held on to claim the third spot on the sprint podium. Russell took the chequered flag 1.3 seconds ahead of Leclerc. PA Media
What does that all mean? Well, overtaking was much tougher than elsewhere this season, which means qualifying this afternoon will be especially important. And rain could have an impact. It looks as if both qualifying and the race will be dry, with the showers falling beforehand, but there’s a threat there.
Here’s how the top 10 finished
1 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes – 8pts
2 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari +1.360 – 7pts
3 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren +5.196 – 6pts
4 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes +5.591 – 5pts
5 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren +10.185 – 4pts
6 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull +10.529 – 3pts
7 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari +12.188 – 4pts– 2pts
8 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine +42.510 – 1pt
9 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi +44.437
10 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls +44.971
Toto Wolff is happy for Russell: “It’s not a lot of points but it’s a good boost of confidence.” He points to Antonelli’s near accident in qualifying leading to him not being so fast, not risking much.
What does that do to the standings?
1 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 223pts
2 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 171
3 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 168
4 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari 145
5 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren 134
6 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull 112
7 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren 96
8 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷 Red Bull 68
9 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine 43
10 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Racing Bulls 43
11 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls 23
12 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷 Alpine 19
13 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧 Haas 18
14 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi 10
15 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸 Williams 6
16 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭 Williams 5
17 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷 Haas 3
18 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪 Audi 2
19 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸 Aston Martin 1
Unsurprisingly, he’s happy with the setup, though will need a few tickles. “Everyone loves a tickle,” quips Coulthard.
And now Russell, starting with the rain: “One more lap and it would have been a very different end to the race.”
“I did not expect to gain a place at the end of the race on the soft tyres,” Leclerc says.
Now Leclerc, asked about the choice of softs when only one other car had them. “It’s either very right or very wrong.”
“The cars not performing to the level in the slow-speed corners.”
Norris speaks to David Coulthard. “Not a bad result, not the best. We lacked pace, we have some work to do.”
It was not a classic. If the rain had come earlier it would have been very different but that was just what Russell needed. A big confidence boost after a month off.
Russell wins ahead of Leclerc and Norris!
Lap 24/24. Russell rounds the final corner as the rain falls, and wins, with Leclerc, Norris, Antonelli, Piastri, Verstappen, Hamilton and Gasly in the points too.
Lap 24/24. Antonelli going for Norris! The move wasn’t quite there.
Lap 23/24. Hulkenberg back on track, 13 laps behind.
Lap 23/24. The amount of weather talk is a reflection of the lack of racing action.
Lap 21/24. Rain on its way? Possibly, but only light and not long left.
Lap 20/24. Norris now vulnerable to Antonelli, with Leclerc flying ahead, denying Norris overtake mode.
Lap 18/24. Leclerc takes Norris on the inside!
Lap 17/24. At least Leclerc is all over Norris, while Hamilton is closing on Verstappen.
Lap 17/24. Safe to say it has not been the kind of overtake-fest we have seen a lot of the time this season.
Lap 14/24. Bernie Collins reports Mercedes are slow through turn seven, but then converting the braking energy in the straights.
Lap 13/24. Verstappen closing on Piastri now.
Lap 12/24. It’s all about 2-3-4 in the points battle, with gaps of more than a second everywhere else.
Lap 11/24. Norris saying he has no rear, and Leclerc is closing on his softs.
Lap 10/24. Russell has been told his tyre management has been on the mark and he can push, which enables him to pull clear of Norris.
Lap 7/24. The chasm in the timings is clear to see: nearly seven seconds between Hamilton in seventh and Gasly in eighth.
Lap 6/24. Something wrong with Hulkenberg’s Audi. He had dropped right back and is now called in.
Lap 5/24. Antonelli is 1.5sec ahead of Piastri and looking at Leclerc.
Lap 4/24. Norris the fastest man on the track and is right on Russell’s tail. Hamilton is all over Verstappen.
Lap 4/24. Russell has roughly a second on Norris. Perez is on track now, two laps down. Learning curve only …
Lap 2/24. Antonelli’s move on Piastri is the only change in the top 10 so far.
Lap 2/24. Pérez is in the pits …
Lap 1/24. Antonelli ahead of Piastri already and closes on Leclerc.
Lights out! Russell gets away, takes the first corner OK.
Bernie Collins points out Charles Leclerc is on softs.
Trouble for Sergio Pérez. He’s being wheeled down the pit lane.
Formation lap time. Isack Hadjar watching from the pit lane.
Looks like the senior Sky boys believe in having the whole of August off: no Croft, Lazenby or Brundle in the Netherlands this weekend.
Gabriel Bortoleto, who is just outside a points place on the sprint grid, is under investigation for an unsafe release, which could be costly.
Only 10 minutes to go. I guess I should add Tsunoda to the bottom of the standings …
Talking of the fans at Zandvoort, there are a lot fewer of them than there should be, thanks to problems on railways.
What’s been happening during the break? Well, among other matters, one driver got engaged, another tied the knot with his team, and a third has hurt a wrist, leading to a one-race switcheroo.
George Russell is the man who got engaged, proposing to Carmen Montero Mundt, his long-term partner. Talking of long-term partners, Max Verstappen has signed a new contract with Red Bull. But Isack Hadjar, who has proved himself a worthy teammate for the Dutchman, is the man with an injury.
This means Liam Lawson – demoted from Red Bull after two races last season – steps back up from Racing Bulls, while his seat there goes to Yuki Tsunoda, summoned off the beach.
So the home fans at Zandvoort have something to celebrate, in Verstappen’s commitment to the sport, but also something to mourn: the track’s ownership has decided not to bid to stage the race again, so this run of Dutch GPs, which began in 2021, is at an end.
And the constructors:
1 Mercedes 🇩🇪 379pts
2 Ferrari 🇮🇹 307
3 McLaren 🇬🇧 220
4 Red Bull 🇦🇹 177
5 Racing Bulls 🇮🇹 66
6 Alpine 🇫🇷 61
7 Haas 🇺🇸 21
8 Audi 🇩🇪 12
9 Williams 🇬🇧 11
10 Aston Martin 🇬🇧 1
11 Cadillac 🇺🇸 0
Talking of competition, here’s how the drivers’ championship looked after Hungary:
1 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 219pts
2 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 169
3 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 160
4 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari 138
5 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren 128
6 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull 109
7 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren 92
8 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷 Red Bull 68
9 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Racing Bulls 43
10 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine 42
11 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls 23
12 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷 Alpine 19
13 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧 Haas 18
14 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi 10
15 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸 Williams 6
16 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭 Williams 5
17 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷 Haas 3
18 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪 Audi 2
19 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸 Aston Martin 1
– Lance Stroll 🇨🇦 Aston Martin
– Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮 Cadillac
– Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽 Cadillac
– Yuki Tsunoda 🇯🇵 Racing Bulls
That followed an FP1 topped by Antonelli, but with the next four cars – in order, Norris, Russell, Hamilton and Leclerc – all within 0.289 of the championship leader. That is tight, even allowing for the shortness of the circuit.
Incidentally, I imagine after four weeks off, the drivers would prefer two free practice sessions rather than having to get into the more competitive SQ1 with just an hour on track.
First, an update on the grid. Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso – who was last anyway – must start from the pit lane after their cars were modified under parc fermé. Sainz drops from 18th to 21st.
What happened in sprint qualifying? Very nearly a shocker for Kimi Antonelli, but a significant boost for his teammate George Russell. The championship leader went off on to the gravel on turn 13 in SQ1 and looked as if he could spin out completely, which would have left him in the bottom six. Luckily he held on and was able to advance, but ultimately he could manage no better than fifth on the grid, which is headed by Russell. The Briton was 0.034 faster than his compatriot Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc a further 0.014 back in third. Piastri was fourth, followed by Antonelli, with 0.227 covering the top five. Verstappen and Hamilton were sixth and seventh.
With Hadjar injured, it’s even more about the big seven than usual: Lawson failed to make the top 10 in the second Red Bull.
Preamble
“And now excuse me while I interrupt myself.” Every summer, the F1 season channels the late Murray Walker, taking a month off, and every summer we do excuse it, and welcome it back. Here we go for the last 11 or 12 race weekends of the season.
Eleven or twelve because we still don’t know where the season will end: it should be in Abu Dhabi on the first weekend in December, a week after Qatar, but if Donald Trump’s war with Iran rules out those two then a European finale will be arranged, likely at Imola. Which should be fun, given the seasonal weather in November/December.
We signed off in Hungary last month with a first win of the season for Lando Norris and McLaren. Now, it’s off to the dunes of Zandvoort, starting with the sprint race at 11am BST, with qualifying for Sunday’s main event coming up at 3pm BST.
I’ll be back from 10.30am for the buildup to the sprint, but for now, here are the times from sprint race qualifying and Giles Richards’ preview of the second half of the campaign.
1 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 1min 11.567sec
2 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren 1:11.608
3 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari 1:11.622
4 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren 1:11.666
5 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 1:11.794
6 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull 1:12.094
7 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 1:12.191
8 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine 1:12.578
9 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi 1:12.583
10 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls 1:12.737
Eliminated in SQ2
11 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Red Bull 1:13.136
12 Yuki Tsunoda 🇯🇵 Racing Bulls 1:13.145
13 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷 Alpine 1:13.439
14 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪 Audi 1:13.616
15 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷 Haas 1:13.893
16 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭 Williams 1:14.294
Eliminated in SQ1
17 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧 Haas 1:14.728
18 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸 Williams 1:14.738
19 Lance Stroll 🇨🇦 Aston Martin 1:15.391
20 Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮 Cadillac 1:15.472
21 Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽 Cadillac 1:15.545
22 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸 Aston Martin 1:16.014
