The Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort has kicked off with surprising results in the practice sessions, as Mercedes and McLaren outpaced championship leader Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team. George Russell of Mercedes set the fastest time of 1:10.702 in the second free practice session (FP2), followed closely by Oscar Piastri of McLaren and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.Verstappen, who has won all three races at Zandvoort since its return to the F1 calendar in 2021, found himself only fifth fastest in FP2, 0.284 seconds behind Russell. The Dutch driver admitted to struggling with car balance, stating, ‘We didn’t quite have the pace on the long and short runs and at the moment there isn’t a clear answer on how to improve this, but we will look into things’.The unexpected performance shift has raised questions about Red Bull’s dominance, with McLaren now just 42 points behind in the constructors’ championship. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expressed confidence in Lando Norris, saying, ‘Lando is world championship material, yes, he can win the championship, it’s a statement, in capital letters’.Weather conditions have added an extra layer of complexity to the race weekend. Strong winds and rain affected the first practice session, with Nico Hülkenberg describing the conditions as ‘wild’. These challenging conditions are expected to continue, potentially playing a significant role in qualifying and the race.As the teams prepare for qualifying, the battle at the front of the grid is expected to be extremely close. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner acknowledged this, saying, ‘It’s going to be a very close battle at the front of the grid. We’ll see how it plays out on Sunday’. With changing weather conditions and strong performances from Mercedes and McLaren, the Dutch Grand Prix promises to be an exciting and unpredictable race weekend.
Key points
- George Russell of Mercedes set the fastest time in FP2, outpacing Max Verstappen.
- McLaren showed strong performance, closing in on Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
- Challenging weather conditions, including strong winds and rain, are expected to impact the race weekend.
- The battle at the front of the grid is expected to be extremely close, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Contradictions👾While most sources indicate that Mercedes and McLaren outperformed Red Bull in practice, some reports suggest that the competition is still very close.
