Near Downpour
The first (and last) Sprint in the history of the Zandvoort circuit was rather drowsy, with only Charles Leclerc giving some excitement to the fans by delivering a splendid overtake on Lando Norris in Turn 1 for the final second position. However, it would have taken very little, just a few minutes, to have a decidedly more ‘pyrotechnic’ race finish.
A few seconds after the leaders crossed the checkered flag, a brief but very heavy downpour hit the Dutch track drenching the entire strip of asphalt. The drivers from eighth position downwards noticed it, as they were more spaced out from the leading group and, as a precaution, completed the last lap by lifting off 4-5 seconds compared to their reference times. If the rain had arrived on the track a few laps earlier, perhaps the outcome of the Sprint could have been very different.
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The Verstappen-Lambiase Exchange
This thought also crossed the mind of Max Verstappen, sixth at the finish, who on the way back to the pits was struck by the magnitude of the downpour hitting the track: “My God, imagine if it had happened in the last two laps!”, commented the four-time world champion over the radio, speaking with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase. From the pit wall, Lambiase appeared regretful that it didn’t happen: “Maybe it would have been a bit more fun,” joked the Italo-English engineer; “Or maybe not!”, Verstappen replied laughing. Evidently, despite his extraordinary talent in wet conditions, the Dutchman perhaps still doesn’t have the right feel for the RB22 to be comfortable driving on a flooded track with medium slick tires.
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