F1, Dutch GP: the report cards of the promoted
1. Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli. Together but not on equal terms, with Norris being preferred. It has been said for months, he is driving better now compared to 12 months ago: it’s as if the title has taken pressure off the world champion, instead of adding to it; Lando drives freely and is in a position to do so, because he remains at -83 and his “I’m here too” is still a voice that reaches Antonelli’s ear from afar. Babyface, indeed, has entered Prost mode: he just has to do placements and a few right moves. In fact, a polished Norris can be more useful than frightening to Antonelli, because he takes away and will take points even from those who “threaten” him more closely. The quotation marks are two but could be at least 20, actually almost 60, like the points lead over Russell and Hamilton. They can only hope that Antonelli gets Piastritis.
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2. Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc. Two warriors. The Methuselah at 45 years has learned the art of patience and to avoid knocking out Honda directly he only praises the new Newey-made chassis. Second among the “others” – a miracle if you think about where Aston Martin was five months ago – with a perfect strategy, which works precisely because the AMR26 is finally a car from an aerodynamic point of view, with which you can play some different cards focusing on pace. Leclerc: the only one who tries, excites, rebels against an anachronistic track. Author of the only noteworthy move in the Sprint, he repeats it with a fantastic overtake on Piastri. Then he falls victim to yet another botched Sunday by the pit wall.
3. Yuki Tsunoda. They get him out of bed, take off his Dragon Ball pajamas and put on the Racing Bulls suit. Oh, and he even goes great. Hats off really to Tsunoda, who returns after nine months and with cars never tested on track he even comes close to points. Special mention for Nico Hülkenberg, both for the points and for the magic with which he dodges the spinning Bortoleto (what a move from him too).
F1, Dutch GP: the report cards of the failed
3. The Sprint. Zandvoort (or Zolder, or Zandoorf, anyway you choose) is not suitable for this F1. It is not profitable (reason why the organizers give up) and it is not spectacular (reason why no one in F1 will tear their hair out from 2027). The ideal to have two races, right? And indeed, as widely predictable, it was a disaster. If you find me someone who thinks that the Sprint at Zandvoort made Saturday more interesting and gave value to F1, I’ll buy you a drink. Two glasses – after all, I am a journalist – but I’ll pay for them.
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2. The renewed. Which is an excuse to put Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz in the same pot. For Max a clumsy cameo when everyone had paid the ticket to see him as the lead actor. Sainz feels like the lead actor, who for me would have preferred to stay stuck in an elevator on Ferragosto rather than stay in Williams, but he renewed only for lack of alternatives. And, as an admirer of Smooth Operator, being a danger on track, even for your teammate, does not help in negotiations.
1. Ferrari. Take Budapest, put it in the freezer, take it out after a month, thaw it, add virtuosity to the pit wall, season with team radios from drivers on the verge of a nervous breakdown and serve at the table. As in Hungary, Ferrari arrives as favorite and finishes off the podium. The count of Dutch blunders is very long, it has already been done and partly replicates that of the Hungaroring: compared to a month ago, wrong pit stops have been added and that atavistic passivity in reading the race has returned, an ailment that has plagued Maranello for decades. Those two laps of Hamilton behind Leclerc best capture the blunders, embarrassments and slow decision-making of the pit wall, which incredibly does not know how to impose itself. In this case, there is not even much to blame the strategists: Leclerc was clearly disadvantaged in the timing of the stops (which were also slow), but once you differentiate between the two drivers, you must have the courage to carry out your choice. And this is a problem that goes beyond strategy (it is impossible that they did not see that tactical suicide) and touches on leadership management. You cannot be on two different strategies and then penalize the driver who has the better one. You slowed both down, and rightly lost the podium with both: that final Virtual Safety Car was a well-deserved punishment, not bad luck. And the drivers are only victims of this chaos. The fault is neither Leclerc’s (who has the right to discuss the need for a pit stop), clearly not Hamilton’s, but of a chain of command that does not command and creates unnecessary nervousness. And this must be answered primarily by Vasseur: who must make this blessed execution work?
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