Lazy Thoughts on the Dutch Grand Prix

I originally started writing this halfway through the race, assuming today would give us our fifth consecutive (and eighth overall) McLaren 1-2 finish this season. And how could I not think that? Hometown hero Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) was a quarter-second behind (+0.263) pole sitter Oscar Piastri, with Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris just 12-thousandths of a second slower than him. Even 53 laps in, Verstappen was seconds off the lead, stuck in P3 behind Norris.

But then, the race script tore itself up. Norris’ car coughed out a smoky retirement on Lap 65, sending a blow to the Papaya team’s domination. Sure, it didn’t break, but it only took one engine to turn the 1–2 machine into a one-man show. And boy, what a show it became.

Of course, the battle for P1 was nonexistent. Piastri’s momentum never stopped, even after his teammate had to retire. He was in control through every reset, rebuilt his lead, and brought home his fifth consecutive podium. There’s not much to say about his driving today, except that it was ruthlessly economical. He kept his composure from the lights going out to the wave of the checkered flag. He didn’t let any race input go to waste. Yeah, this behavior is boring on paper, but it is the thing that wins championships. And I do believe his driving today earned him his first grand chelem, so that’s got to account for something.

Speaking of champions, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about Verstappen’s well-deserved comeback this race. He launched like a slingshot once the lights went out, jumping into P2 ahead of Norris by the first turn. While he got re-passed by Norris on lap 9, he maintained a steady pace behind the McLarens— enough of a pace to easily inherit P2 once Norris was out of the race. The Dutchman gave the home crowd something to hold.

While he never had the chance to convert it into a live threat against Piastri, perspective is important. Back in Hungary, Verstappen finished ninth behind junior team driver Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls). At Silverstone, he was a muted fifth, almost a minute down (+56.781s) from Lando Norris in P1. Today, he executed the launch perfectly and kept “best of the rest” pace long enough to cash in when the McLaren expired. It’s exactly the kind of disciplined home-soil reset Verstappen needed.

Rounding out our podium today is our second rookie P3 of the season. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar’s weekend started strong with a punchy P4 in qualifying, and he kept the momentum throughout the race. How? By keeping his head cool and staying out of trouble. He rolled with the safety cars, avoided Ferrari shrapnel, and cashed in once Norris retired. The result: A maiden F1 podium for the 20-year-old French/Algerian man and a “Driver of the Day” nod to match.

On raw race shape: Verstappen was untouchable ahead, but Hadjar kept other drivers from ever turning pressure into a pass and brought the Racing Bulls home with clean air behind. For a rookie, that’s solid racecraft under constraint. Verstappen even congratulated him for his success.

All in all, what started as a boring race turned into a clean case study in gaps: Piastri’s control up front, Verstappen’s home-soil reset, and Hadjar’s rookie composure.

And I have learned my lesson: I won’t jump ahead and start writing these halfway through the race anymore (Okay, I might again… but I’ll try not to).

And now, as always, the other thoughts I had that don’t fit into the main race recap:

That’s all for now, my dears. I’ll see you in Monza next week.

-F