Max Verstappen put in a dominant performance to take pole position at Zandvoort, with a 0.537s lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris in second place and George Russell of Mercedes clinching third place with a late effort. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes’ other driver, was unexpectedly knocked out in the second qualifying round, finishing in 13th position.
However, also notable was the 1.313s qualifying gap between Verstappen and Perez, who took P7 on the grid – with Wolff saying after the session that he was struggling to understand the gap between the Red Bull pair
Astonishing gap between Verstappen and Perez leaves Toto Wolff puzzled
In a car as dominant as the RB19, both drivers have not responded with the same performance on the track. Sergio Perez started very strong, but in the last few rounds, he has been further away than ever from the Dutchman. Sometimes even further than in his first season with the team. In qualifying at Zandvoort, Verstappen achieved a gap of 1.3 seconds over Checo with the same car.
Mercedes Team principal Toto Wolff had some suspicions about the gap between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez that had been present for some time prior to the Dutch Grand Prix. When asked about it, Wolff acknowledged that it was difficult to explain. He expressed that the difference in performance between the two drivers could only be due to Verstappen molding the car to his driving style.
He according to Gpfans, said, “We have seen that Max has destroyed all the team-mates who were with him, because of his ability to create a car around him,” Toto declared in a press conference at Zandvoort.
“That’s very complicated to control but if you can do it… If you don’t, you create these gaps.
“Checo is not an idiot. We have seen in all these years that Checo is a Grand Prix winner, a multiple race winner, and he was at Racing Point, so I can’t understand it.”
Alonso finished second in Dutch GP
During the race held at the Zandvoort circuit, Alonso began the competition in fifth position. However, his exceptional driving skills allowed him to swiftly move up to third place by overtaking Alex Albon and George Russell at Turn 3, despite the challenging rainy conditions.
Alonso continued his impressive drive by surpassing Lando Norris and strategically utilizing the changing weather conditions, Virtual Safety Car, Safety Car, and red flag to ultimately secure second place, finishing just behind the first-place winner, Max Verstappen. This remarkable achievement marked Alonso’s first podium finish since his success in Canada two months prior.
“It was a very intense race,” said Alonso, who gained a spot when Sergio Perez spun off before the late red flag. “Obviously at the beginning, with the wet conditions, we were very, very fast, and we stopped maybe one lap too late, but the same as the leaders.
“The car was flying today, very competitive, very easy to drive. In these conditions you need a car that you can trust, and I did trust the car a lot today, I did enjoy.
What do you think of Alonso back on the podium? Do you think he is capable of winning his third title in the future? Let us know in the comments section down below.
