In Pictures: Netherlands 2023
Formula 1 arrived at one of the legendary tracks, the ever-undulating and situated just a stone's throw away from the North Sea, the mighty Zandvoort!
THE AREA
Zandvoort is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts in the country; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by the coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam water supply dunes.
Zandvoort is known to exist in 1100, called Sandevoerde (a combination of "sand" and "voorde", meaning ford). Until 1722 the area was under the control of the Lords of Brederode. The village was dependent on fishing for many centuries until the 19th century when it started to transform itself into a seaside resort, following the pattern set by similar towns in the United Kingdom. In 1828 the first resort was inaugurated. In the middle of the same century, potato cultivation started in the dunes.
In 1881 the railway station near the coast opened, followed by a tram connection to Haarlem in 1899, which greatly increased beach tourism. During World War II, Zandvoort was heavily damaged. On May 23, 1942, beach access was no longer permitted and several months later the town was almost completely vacated. Resorts and avenues were demolished to make way for the coastal fortifications of the Atlantic Wall.
After the war, the town's growth accelerated, matching the increase in tourism. In 1948, Circuit Zandvoort was built, hosting the Dutch Grand Prix for several decades, until 1985. The Dutch GP returned in 2021. Zandvoort continues to be a significant Dutch resort location, where nearly half of all employment is related to tourism.
THE CIRCUIT
Circuit Zandvoort, known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a racetrack located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea coastline.
The first race on the circuit, the Prijs van Zandvoort, took place on 7 August 1948. The race was renamed the Grote Prijs van Zandvoort (Zandvoort Grand Prix) in 1949, then the Grote Prijs van Nederland (Dutch Grand Prix) in 1950.
The 1952 race was the first to be run as a round of the World Championship, albeit to Formula Two regulations rather than Formula One regulations like all the European rounds of the championship that year; a similar situation also applied to 1953. There was no Dutch Grand Prix in 1954, 1956, or 1957, but 1955 saw the first true Formula One race as part of the Drivers' Championship. The Dutch Grand Prix returned in 1958 and remained a permanent fixture on the F1 calendar (with the exception of 1972) until 1985 when it was held for the last time in the 20th century. It returned to the Formula One calendar in 2021 as the location of the revived Dutch Grand Prix.
The circuit gained popularity because of its fast, sweeping corners such as Scheivlak as well as the "Tarzanbocht" (Tarzan corner) hairpin at the end of the start/finish straight. Tarzanbocht is the most famous corner in the circuit. Since there is a camber in the corner, it provides excellent overtaking opportunities. It is possible to pass around the outside as well as the easier inside lane. This corner is reportedly named after a local character who had earned the nickname of Tarzan and only wanted to give up his vegetable garden in the dunes if the track's designers named a nearby corner after him.
FRIDAY
News around the paddock after the summer break didn’t take long as Haas announced they are keeping Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg for 2024. As for updates, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, McLaren, Haas, and AlphaTauri brought many new elements for their respective race cars.
Red Bull: Beam Wing
Mercedes: Floor Edge, Side Pod Inlet, Beam Wing
McLaren: Rear Wing, Beam Wing
Aston Martin: Floor Body, Floor Fences, Floor Edge, Diffuser
Haas: Front Wing, Nose, Rear Corner
AlphaTauri: Rear Wing Endplate
FP1
Robert Shwartzman replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari for FP1, as every team must run a young driver in two practice sessions this season. And after a long summer break, F1 was back with almost everyone coming out onto the track for their respective installation laps, although many started setting timed laps immediately afterward.
After the first thirty minutes, it was the Williams of Logan Sargeant on top of the charts with the fastest lap at the time. Ten minutes later, Nico Hulkenberg went out at Turn 14, barely touching the barrier but enough to bring the first Red Flag of the weekend. About ten minutes later, the session resumed.
With FP1 done and dusted, it was Max Verstappen who set the fastest lap. Followed by Alonso, Hamilton, Perez, and Albon, the Top-Five.
FP2
The weather was a key factor as there was rain forecast for the rest of the weekend. But it was dry by the time FP2 started, and as we had seen in the first practice, almost everyone came out right away, which made FP2 a little tricky as traffic became an issue for those trying to set fast timed laps.
Just ten minutes into the session, Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo got out at Turn 3. Piastri carried too much speed and lost the rear on his McLaren, hitting the barriers at the top of the banking. Ricciardo was following quite close behind, and in trying to take a wider line, by the time he saw Piastri, it was too late to do anything but put his car into the barriers as well to avoid hitting the McLaren. Both Aussies out but ok. A Red Flag came out as there was lots of debris on the track.
With 37 minutes left in the session, practice resumed. And at the end, it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who set the fastest time of the session, ahead of Max Verstappen, Alex Albon, Lewis Hamilton, and Yuki Tsunoda, the Top-Five.
It was later informed that Daniel Ricciardo could not continue due to a broken hand sustained in the crash during FP2. Kiwi Liam Lawson replaced him at AlphaTauri for the remainder of the weekend.
SATURDAY
It was wet, very wet…
FP3
Unsurprisingly, Liam Lawson was among the first to go out to test the wet track… He had one hour to learn as much as possible about the car…
A few minutes into the session, Kevin Magnussen lost the rear of his Haas VF23 and hit the wall at Turn 3, bringing out the red flag while the car was recovered, and the track cleaned.
As soon as the green light was shown again, plenty of cars went onto the track, trying to learn as much as possible of the track and the tricky conditions as qualifying was to be wet as well…
Many drivers had scary moments until Zhou Guanyu beached his Alfa Romeo at Turn 14. Another red flag was shown.
A third red flag was shown as Liam Lawson lost grip and spun his AT04 at Turn 13, tapping the wall and damaging the front wing, ending up facing the wrong way. He was able to get the car running again.
Practice resumed and the rain stopped, so track evolution was mighty, although more rain was on the way. In the end, it was Max Verstappen the fastest, followed by George Russell, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton, the Top-Five.
QUALIFYING
The Sun appeared but there was rain around, so it was important to set a timed lap as soon as possible.
Q1
Everyone was fighting the tricky conditions and what a dramatic Q1 we had. Albon was the fastest in the Williams. Out were Zhou Guanyu, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Valtteri Bottas, and Liam Lawson.
Q2
Wow… What an extraordinary and thrilling session that was. Nevertheless, not going through were Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, and Nico Hulkenberg.
Q3
Zandvoort was drying quickly, so everyone went on slick tires, but then, after his heroic drive in Q2, Logan Sargeant went off at Turn 2, damaging his Williams and ending his qualifying run.
Qualifying resumed, everyone on soft slicks on an ever-drying track. But this time around it was Charles Leclerc who found the wall at Turn 9, damaging his Ferrari. Yet another red flag and only 4:05 left on the clock… And then there were eight…
1:10.567, that was Max Verstappen’s Pole Position time! More than half a second ahead of Lando Norris. Then came George Russell, Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and Logan Sargeant, the Top-Ten.
Superb performance by everyone, especially the home hero.
““Ha, ha, ha. Boom! What a lap.
It was a very tricky qualifying. It was all about putting your laps in but also staying out of trouble. We had to risk it a bit, but that last lap was very enjoyable. First time here in these conditions, we underestimated with the wind and the sun how quick it dried.””
SUNDAY
It was overcast, sporadically raining before the race started. The sea of orange was the most noticeable feature in the completely packed stands…
Cars took to the track under the shining Sun, but quite dark clouds could be seen in the distance over the North Sea…
Just before the start, the Dutch National anthem was played with famed conductor André Rieu directing the orchestra and choir.
Everyone started on dry tires, Hamilton on the Medium, with everyone else on the Soft. But right from the opening lap, the rain appeared, forcing almost the entire field to pit for Intermediates. However, some brave drivers – the Williams duo, Hulkenberg, Bottas, and Piastri – opted to stay out, banking on the rain not lasting long. Indeed, after about ten laps, the track was again suitable for slicks so that in the space of 12 laps everyone was back on dry tires. Eventually, the rain subsided, and the track gradually began to dry.
Due to a few lap pitstop difference between Perez and Verstappen, it was the Mexican up in front, with the Dutchman a bit back in fourth place, trailing behind Zhou Guanyu and Gasly. He faced the task of recovering his leading position.
With impressive speed, Verstappen managed to retake the lead, seemingly on course for a decisive victory on a fully dry track. However, the weather had another twist in store, as heavy rain returned in the closing stages. This triggered a fresh wave of pit stops and ultimately led to a red flag after Zhou Guanyu crashed his Alfa Romeo unable to turn at Tarzan (Turn 1).
The race resumed behind the Safety Car with only seven laps to the finish line. A lap later, the Safety Car came in and Verstappen managed to keep the lead.
In the end, it was Max Verstappen taking his third consecutive Dutch Grand Prix victory, at the same time equaling the record for nine straight wins in a season, previously set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013, also at the wheel of a Red Bull. This was Verstappen’s 46th career win, bringing his total number of podium finishes to 90.
Alonso secured second place, marking his first podium finish since Canada over two months prior. Perez, although crossing the line in third, was penalized with a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. This penalty promoted Gasly, who had started 12th, to the podium.
Due to his penalty, Perez settled for fourth place. He was followed by Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. The two engaged in a late battle, with their wheels making contact. Lando Norris, Alex Albon, Oscar Piastri, and Esteban Ocon rounded out the Top-Ten.
QUOTES FROM THE PODIUM
““I feel extremely proud to win the Dutch Grand Prix again and to win nine in a row is a massive achievement, I never thought it would be possible. It’s always amazing to be here and the National anthem before the Grand Prix really gave me goosebumps. Of course, there were a lot of hectic moments today with the rain coming in, the race was all about trying to stay calm and make the right calls at the right time and we did just that. There was a fantastic atmosphere here all weekend and being at my home Grand Prix with all the fans makes this win feel even more special. I think everyone was completely soaked after that downpour and still they were listening and dancing to music and having a great time.””
““It was a very intense race, with the wet conditions we were very, very fast. The car was flying today, very competitive, easy to drive. In these conditions you need a car you can trust, and I did trust it today. This is a very special racetrack. Happy for Max, congratulations to everyone.””
““Today, they didn’t make it easy for us with the weather, to make all the right calls. I already had goose bumps when they were playing the anthem at the start. I’ll think about [the 10th win] next week, I just want to enjoy this one. The atmosphere is very special.””
