Verstappen winner at Zandvoort and new leader of the Championship

Could it be otherwise? On a fast circuit (4,259 km covered at an average of 222,58 km/h in qualifying), where overtaking would be difficult to achieve, and especially in front of a crowd committed to his cause, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) had no choice but to win this first Dutch Grand Prix since 1985.

The Dutchman did not sign his victory (the 17th in F1) the most thrilling of his young career, but the favorite of the Zandvoort fans certainly experienced an unforgettable Sunday, punctuated by a start from pole position, a race controlled from start to finish and an infallible strategy.

#DutchGP🇳🇱 – The departure

Magnificent start from Max Verstappen 💪

▶ https://t.co/7plkVVV12v pic.twitter.com/Rio0p66k4c

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) September 5, 2021

The wearer of number 33 never seemed to doubt his strength on the shores of the North Sea. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) tried a tactic with two pit stops as well as a final stint on medium tires where the Red Bull was running on hard compounds, nothing worked.

We will quickly move on to the role of assistant to Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes); Starting third, the Finn led the race during the first wave of stops but was then easily swallowed up by Max Verstappen a few laps later. The Finn is satisfied by climbing to third place in the general classification to the detriment of Lando Norris (McLaren).

''Super Max'' also takes back control of the World Championship for the first time since his accident at Silverstone (Great Britain) in July. Lewis Hamilton is behind by a handful of points.

Far from the cameras, Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) produced a high quality test. The Norman held his fourth position until the end, despite the pressure exerted by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). The latter dominated his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr (7th), as evidenced by the gap between the two men of the Team built regularly.

The Madrilenian also took heat from his broadcaster, the fault of his childhood hero Fernando Alonso (Alpine) particularly incisive. The double world champion was very restless during the first turns (6th). Taken to the grass by his own teammate Esteban Ocon (9th), then touched by Williams of George Russell, the ''Bull of Asturias'' then narrowly missed losing control at high speed before being hit by Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo).

Antonio Giovinazzi may have some disappointment. Author of his best qualification in F1 (7th), the Italian, in unfavorable balance to keep his seat in 2022, disappeared from the chasing group due to a puncture and an average race pace (14th).

Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin, 13th) will not have any great memories of his trip to the Netherlands either, the fault of a spin in turn 3. But the four-time world champion was already sailing into the depths of the ranking.

Find in issue 2328 of AUTOhebdo, on sale Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands, the analysis of the Dutch Grand Prix by our special correspondent.

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