Winning strategies and sustainability in Formula 1

Difficult but safe track is popular with drivers

The North Holland Circuit is a difficult track to overtake, even if your hand is not Tilke’s. The signature on the Zandvoort track is the Dutchman John Hugenholtz, an environmental icon who was born almost 100 years ago and who also signed other legendary builds such as Suzuka, Zolder, Jarama and parts of the Hungaroring. Above all, its most famous and successful success is especially the “8” layout, which made the Japanese track famous and special: even today it remains one of the most loved and feared tracks for “real” drivers and in the world of video games. It is therefore fun and safe, both for pilots of the past, and for those of the present and the future. Where overtaking is difficult, however. Therefore, in the absence of unforeseen weather or major accidents, the race depends largely on the tire strategy.

At the start of the pit stop phase, Alexander Albon opted for the hard tyre, suggesting the possibility of a one-stop strategy. Shortly afterwards, Leclerc and Piastri confirmed they would follow “Plan A”, presumably a similar strategy. Verstappen was the first top driver to pit on the hard tyre on lap 27. This prompted a McLaren response, with Norris soon rejoining and managing to stay ahead of Verstappen despite being slightly slower in the tyre change. Piastri extended his first stop to the middle of the race, but instead of finishing fourth, he finished fifth, behind Russell. However, Leclerc fared better, overtaking Russell shortly after his pit stop. The second half of the race started with all drivers on the hard tyre, with only the insignificant Magnussen making zero pit stops.

The final part of the race was intense, with the Mercedes cars of Russell and Hamilton chasing each other for seventh and eighth, both on soft tyres and trying to catch Perez. Sainz had a great race, climbing from tenth to fifth, five seconds behind Piastri but seven ahead of Perez. Gasly was the first driver to complete a lap after the two unrecognisable Mercedes cars, but he lost the satisfaction of being ahead of Alonso, the last driver in contention for the points.

Ferrari’s third force today

There was a noteworthy element of surprise, since until more than halfway through the race, the balance of power with the other teams during the 2024 summer break did not seem to have improved significantly. However, the Drake team is all single-seaters. Able to best withstand the most insidious attacks. Today, however, this time, it was represented first by Piastri and Perez – particularly observed and on the way to dismissal – and, in the case of Sainz, even the unexpectedly competitive Gasly Alpine.

Hamilton’s penalty and its impact on the race

Hamilton was excluded from the list of the best today, having already had a poor result on Saturday, finishing 12th. But as if that wasn’t enough, he was demoted three places for what was considered an obstruction to Perez’s fastest lap in Q2. The Mexican still managed fifth, one and a half tenths ahead of Leclerc.