This year’s Dutch Grand Prix was one for the books. I honestly can’t think of a better way to have the first race fresh out of summer break than with a race that leaves everyone on the edge of their seats for chaotic reasons.
Oscar Piastri, unsurprisingly, won the race after securing pole position. Max Verstappen, in his home race, came in second place after qualifying P3. This race was really a battle between these two, while the other eighteen drivers fought for points.
The showstopper of the weekend was Visa Cash App Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar. P4 was his qualifying result for his rookie season so far, and he maintained his position throughout the race until Lando Norris’ retirement (more on that later), which propelled him to a third-place podium finish. The French driver, age 20, is now amongst the youngest podium finishers in Formula One history. Other drivers include Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, and Kimi Antonelli (who finished in third at this season’s Canadian Grand Prix).
But what made this race memorable was not the driving, but the on-track fiascoes. Come to think of it, the Free Practices were a foreshadowing:
Keeping the aforementioned in mind, here are the four surprising collisions of the Dutch Grand Prix:
Lewis Hamilton Crashed Out
The wheel of his Ferrari made contact with the white lines of the track, which was made slippery by drizzle. Hamilton lost control and slid into the wall, triggering the Safety Car on Lap 23.
And to make things worse, he now has a five-place grid penalty for Monza for a speed violation at a double yellow flag sector during pre-race procedures.
I like to believe that this won’t inhibit the GOAT’s ability to win or at least get on the podium at Monza. He has a peculiar habit of climbing up the grid and defying his odds.
The Stewarts Had A Laugh with Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson
The race had barely resumed after the Safety Car when the Williams and Visa Cash App Red Bull driver collided on Lap 27. Neither of them had to retire, but there was debris on the track.
And here’s the kicker - Sainz was handed a ten-second penalty for causing a collision. Lawson, on the other hand, received nothing. I’ve agreed with the penalties that were given in different races, and I’ve been skeptical of a fair share of others. This one, in my opinion, was a bit of a headscratcher. Sainz’s reaction, my favourite radio transmission of the season so far, speaks for itself.
The FIA, by the way, pretty much avoided the Spanish driver after the race.
Scuderia Violenza with Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli
An Italian driver hitting a Ferrari one week before Monza? This one had me screaming at the telly.
On Lap 53, Leclerc had barely exited the pit lane when Antonelli, hungry to overtake, tipped the Ferrari, sending it into a spin that resulted in a wall kiss and a punctured tire. The incident created a double DNF for Ferrari, making this their worst race of the season (so far).
The only thing missing from this moment was classical music in the background, specifically Luciano Pavarotti's cover of “Vesti la giubba.”
Antonelli was subsequently slapped with a ten-second penalty for the collision. He did later stop by the Ferrari suite to apologize to Team Principal Fred Vasseur, which the latter applauded as the “right reaction.”
Leclerc spent the remainder of the race hanging out on the dunes around the track, and the cameras were lapping (pun intended) every moment.
The silver lining of the Monagesque driver’s bout has to be the sick overtake he pulled on George Russell on Lap 32.
Lando Norris’ Car Took A Smoke Break
Any hope that the McLaren driver had of getting ahead, in every sense of the word, of teammate Oscar Piastri went up in literal smoke.
This DNF occurred at the last minute and at the worst possible moment of the Drivers’ Championship. It was the result of a mechanical failure that was utterly out of his control, but a retirement is still a retirement. Norris, like Leclerc, got to hang out on the dunes for the last few laps as well.
This gave Piastri a twenty-five-point advantage in a Drivers’ Championship that is increasingly tipping in his favor. The fight isn’t over until it’s over, but there’s only so much of a gap that can be closed before it’s too late.
Championship Standings
McLaren, unsurprisingly, remains first in the Constructors’ Championship with 584 points. Behind the team in second place, despite everything, is Ferrari at 260 points. Mercedes is in third place with 248 points, and Red Bull is in fourth with 218 points.
Strictly looking at the top three title contenders, Oscar Piastri has further cemented his lead in the Drivers' Championship with 309 points. Lando Norris remains in second after his retirement at 275 points, and Max Verstappen trails behind in third at 205.
Up Next: The Italian Grand Prix
All races, in terms of points, carry the same numerical value. Still, a victory at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, AKA Monza or the “Temple of Speed,” is on par with a win in Monaco or Silverstone.
Monza is considered Ferrari’s home race, which only increases the stakes for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. This is the one race that the team cannot, for the sake of sheer pride, afford to mess up. Any outcome will make or break the Tifosi for the rest of the year. And as Monza is in Italy, this is also going to be Kimi Antonelli’s home race.
I am going to be absolutely clear here - the only outcome that will make my heart content will be a Hamilton-Leclerc-Antonelli podium, in any order.
Light your candles and say your prayers, Tifosi - Ferrari will be needing them.
Ciao for now.
