Max Verstappen leaps to the top of the Drivers’ standings with a home win. Verstappen dominated the 2021 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix the whole weekend and left the fans ecstatic as he took the chequered flag.
Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes was no match for the Dutchman and his Red Bull as he soared through the banked circuit. The strategy errors potentially lost Lewis a fighting chance for the Grand Prix as he finished 2nd.
Valtteri Bottas took the third podium spot comfortably. Valtteri even managed to pull off a late pitstop for soft tyres. As a result, he ended up taking the fastest lap despite the team orders telling him not to.
Pierre Gasly held on to his 4th spot from the qualifying. The top three cars were no match for the rest of the grid. So much so that Max Verstappen ended up lapping Gasly and everyone behind. Mick Schumacher was lapped 3 times by the race leader Max.
Perez puts in a brilliant drive for ‘Driver of the day’ award
Charles Leclerc finished fifth as he was unable to improve on his Qualifying grid performance. Fernando Alonso finished sixth as he passed Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate Sainz in the last lap. Alonso was able to make up 2 places as a result of his first lap manoeuvres.
Esteban Ocon mentioned on the radio about Alonso’s ‘slow pace’ hoping to get a free pass. However, no such strategic decisions were taken as Fernando picked it up. Ocon finally finished the race in 9th place.
Sergio Perez decided to serve his grid penalty for a new Power Unit here due to his poor performance in Qualifying. As a result, Perez had a pit lane start. He then decided to pit again in the 8th lap.
Checo then fought his way to 8th place. His being in the fastest car on the grid was an obvious advantage for the Mexican. He ended up upsetting the McLarens, as they were instrumental to hold Perez back.
How the rest of the grid fared in the Dutch Grand Prix
Lando Norris was the last driver to finish in points. Norris was unable to make the most of his weekend as he finished 10th after he was allowed to pass his teammate Ricciardo who finished 11th.
Antonio Giovinazzi was unable to make the most of his best Qualifying result. He started 7th on the grid and was unable to hold his place. Giovinazzi finished the race 14th, well outside of the points.
Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel also finished outside the points just above Giovinazzi. Raikkonen’s replacement Kubica was P15 as the race ended. Robert Kubica was followed by Nicholas Latifi in his Williams.
George Russell was classified 17th after completing 69 laps. Mick Schumacher occupied the 18th spot as two cars retired. Yuki Tsunoda retired in Lap 48 and Nikita Mazepin’s race ended in Lap 41.
